Planned events from Dundee’s failed UK City of Culture 2017 bid could be set to receive Scottish Government backing.
Scottish Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop has met the city’s bid team, along with representatives from the Dundee Partnership and the city council.
The Cabinet secretary indicated that she planned to meet with government agencies, particularly Creative Scotland and EventScotland, to discuss how they could continue to “develop and deliver” initiatives referred to in Dundee’s bid.
Ms Hyslop said: “Dundee’s impressive City of Culture bid has created a strong foundation on which to build its cultural status.
“With the £1 billion Waterfront regeneration programme at the heart of the city’s plans, it is clear to see the confidence with which Dundee is approaching its development and improvement.
“With so many local people getting behind the bid, everyone in Dundee can be rightfully proud of what has already been achieved and excited as the future plans for this great city take shape.”
The parties agreed that Dundee should develop a 10-year cultural strategy and a five-year action plan between now and the end of April. The strategy will look at the contribution Dundee can make to better understand the way that culture can support social innovation and the regeneration of the city.
The strategy also hopes to harness the city’s digital strength and seeks to develop a programme of events which are of both local and national scale over the next five years.
The meeting briefly reviewed the feedback from the competition and noted the judging panel and their advisers had been impressed by Dundee’s bid document and the “strong and credible partnership” which had put forward the bid.
Dundee Lord Provost Bob Duncan said: “Over the six-month period that Dundee was bidding and then was shortlisted as one of the finalists, I was aware that people were proud that the city had been recognised as one with a great quality of cultural life and one that had great cultural ambitions.”