The £45 million V&A at Dundee project has won a major boost after receiving a multi-million pound anonymous donation.
Efforts to secure the necessary £15 million of private donations have taken a huge leap forward after it was confirmed the mysterious benefactor has provided ”several million pounds”.
The ”fantastic” news was revealed on Tuesday by city development director Mike Galloway during a business event in Edinburgh.
Questioned about the status of the project, he said: ”We have had an anonymous donation of several million pounds. We are also seeking a major private sector partner for the project with suitable opportunities for that partner and we have a dedicated team working just on that private fundraising.
”We are confident that we will get to a position this time next year where we can actually get to the main construction.
”So I know it’s a tall order, but we are confident now that we are past tipping point of this project and it will happen.
”The commitment on this from across the city and right up to the First Minister is quite incredible.”
A spokesman for Design Dundee Ltd the group taking the project forward said they could not give any more details due to a confidentiality clause.
The development comes just weeks after it emerged the flagship project planned for the city’s waterfront is poised to win £9.2 million of lottery funding.
The Scottish Government has already committed to £15 million capital investment in addition to significant revenue funding.
But the £15 million required from private sources has been widely viewed as the most difficult element in making the dream become a reality and the early and substantial contribution will be warmly welcomed.
Preparatory work at the site has already taken place, with studies of the riverbed carried out.
A planning application for the construction of the museum and extension to Riverside Walk was lodged with the city council earlier this month.
The museum is scheduled to open in 2015 with the aim of celebrating the best in Scottish design and developing home-grown talent. It will have four galleries.