On balance, a Dundee & Angus College campus in the city centre is a good idea.
My first choice would be more affordable housing for Dundee folk, with locally-owned shops, cafes, restaurants and nightlife venues, all with plentiful parking.
That’s what a Scottish city centre should be.
But that doesn’t seem possible in the modern world.
Maintaining footfall is the key to ensure Dundee retains something that looks and feels like a centre.
And the college proposal is the best thing I’ve seen recently that could achieve that.
The question is, how will it be paid for?
Competing interests
Everyone must agree the SNP government owes Dundee some love.
Where is our major infrastructure project like the Aberdeen Western Peripheral or Queen’s Crossing? Some public money will surely be forthcoming this time.
We don’t lack expensive plans and dreams to spend it on.
The Eden Project needs more than £100 million. And the city council’s grand notion for active travel routes is costed at nearly quarter of a billion.
If all these get full funding – happy days. But is that likely if we’re talking about government money? I have my doubts.
It’s difficult to award funds to a city of competing interest groups all shouting “me first”.
There would inevitably be criticism for giving to one and not another.
We need to all sing from the same hymn sheet.
City centre regeneration should come first
Therefore we need to agree upon a hierarchy of priorities.
Which project is most important? Which is most needed? Which should the collective muscle of the city push for first?
In what order would you, as a Dundonian, put the city centre campus, Eden Centre, and cycle paths plans?
In my opinion, regenerating the centre comes before the other two.
I’m still sceptical the Eden Project will be as big a success as predicted.
A biosphere revealing the benefits of going green might be OK now, and would have had more of a buzz five years ago. But it will be old news by the mid-2030s.
As for cycle paths, the truth is that Dundee isn’t a mass cycling city. We don’t have the weather or terrain.
Don’t take my word for that, visit the active travel route at Broughty esplanade.
You’ll count 50 walkers for every cyclist, and that’s a level path on a nice day. You’d see zero cyclists in a week struggling up a rain-blown Hilltown equivalent.
Now don’t get your handlebars squint, I’m not saying cycle routes are bad. I’m saying they aren’t Dundee’s first priority.
I’d be surprised if anyone could seriously argue otherwise.
Cycling in the city might become more popular in a few generations’ time and need more spending. Or it might not.
It makes more sense to concentrate on the here and now.
When it comes to putting time and energy into a bid for funding the conclusion is clear.
If we don’t have a city centre, we don’t really have a city. Just a collection of schemes and suburbs.
I expect Eden Project enthusiasts and cycle paths supporters to all present a united front pushing firstly for the Wellgate campus plan.
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