Volunteers at Dundee Museum of Transport say they are “thrilled” after finally winning the battle to take over the former Maryfield Tram Depot.
After four years of campaigning, the group’s bid for the derelict premises was accepted by Scottish Water and a funding drive will now be launched to restore the category B listed building to its former glory.
Dundee Museum of Transport’schairman Jimmy McDonell said: “We are thrilled that we have succeeded in ourmission to secure the depot for use as our permanent home and we thank Scottish Water for making the right decision, and also to all the support we have received from Dundee City Council, MPs,businesses and the local community.
“The news also came on the day that we received a full-sized licensed replica of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang for a long-term display so it puts meaning to the saying that good things come in twos.
“I’d really like to thank Dundee City Council, in particular David Dorward, Gregor Hamilton and Councillor Craig Melville for their support.
“What we’re very pleased about is that these premises are not just a museum, it’s a venue which will allow us to be interactive with the local community.
“We’ve got a lot of plans for the site and local residents can be involved in them.”
The museum opened in April (see video) to critical acclaim, receiving a three-star rating from VisitScotland and rocketing into the top five visitor attractions in the Dundee area on review site TripAdvisor.
Led solely by volunteers from the local community, the organisation focuses on the restoring, preserving and displaying of transport-related memorabilia andvehicles, including Dundee’s last remaining horse-drawn tram which was recovered from a garden in Perth earlier this year.
Committee member Matthew Jackson said it’s now full steam ahead for the full campaign to raise the necessary funding to restore the building.
“This is an exciting time for Dundeeand our project and we will be lookingto consult with the local communityas soon as possible to get the very bestout of this excellent opportunity,” headded.
See more at www.dmoft.co.uk.