Dundee waterfront’s journey from an ambitious vision to an exciting £1 billion reality is progressing with preparations for the demolition of the next building.
With only the lower section and rubble from Tayside House to be cleared, next on the hit-list is the Gala Casino.
Hunter Demolition began stripping out its fittings last month in preparation for dismantling the building which is due to be cleared by the end of August.
After the Gala Casino, its bigger neighbour the Hilton Hotel will disappear from the horizon. Hunter also have that job and are presently stripping it out in readiness for demolition which is due to be finished by the end of this year.
The combined contract is worth £320,000 and the buildings’ removal results from £8.5 million compulsory purchase proceedings taken by the city council who needed the sites for the waterfront project to take place as timetabled.
They occupy plots 11 and 12 to be marketed for development opportunities, and the new southern boulevard. Next to go will be the old Olympia swimming pool and that job has been given to Central Demolition in a contract worth £655,000.
Its site is crucially needed for the £45m V&A museum that has been billed as the jewel in the area’s crown.
The stunning centre for design is the anchor building on the waterfront that will help to boost Dundee’s position as a major UK city, business centre and visitor attraction.
The opening of the £31.5m new Olympia last month was the signal for the Central team to move on to the riverside site.
They will first take down the walkway access and painstakingly remove asbestos and “soft-strip” other materials from the building before starting the main demolition by September.
Gallery: The changing face of Dundee’s waterfront
They aim to have the entire building removed by March 2014 to allow work to start on the V&A.
V&A at Dundee director Philip Long has said construction should get under way next year but factors beyond the control of the project team make it difficult to predict a completion date.
He hoped the work should be finished by the end of March 2016. By that stage city planners hope the central waterfront should be halfway through its strategic 30-year development programme.
The Malmaison Hotel should be open for business, the new station concourse and hotel welcoming visitors from far and wide and a new network of roads and ramps taking traffic on, off and past the Tay Road Bridge.
In 2017, with the V&A greeting visitors from all over the world, Dundee may also be celebrating its status as UK City of Culture.
Other elements include a new civic space stretching from the Caird Hall down to the river, a water feature and development sites for leisure and retail.
The waterfront project is due to be completed in 2031 and is promoted as a major transformation to completely change the lasting impression of the city on visitors and regenerate its economy.
The partnership of public bodies managing the venture say that it will produce substantial rewards for hotels, businesses and retailers, and create up to 7,000 jobs.
In total the site encompasses 240 hectares of development land stretching 8km along the River Tay and divided into five focused zones: Riverside, Seabraes, the Central Waterfront, City Quay and Dundee Port.