Detailed plans for the Eden Project Dundee attraction could be revealed to the public before the end of the year.
The major development, which will cost tens of millions of pounds, intends to open at the former Dundee gasworks on East Dock Street.
It is hoped the destination could spark a tourism boom for the city, boosting the local economy by around £27 million a year and adding hundreds of jobs.
Eden Project in Cornwall has seen 18 million visitors since it opened in 2001.
The charity is currently working on a detailed development design for the Dundee project which won’t open until 2026 at the earliest.
A formal planning application will be submitted either at the end of this year or the start of 2024.
Ahead of this there will be a public consultation exercise.
Hints at what’s coming for Eden Project Dundee attraction
Eden Project’s content curation manager Sarah Peake gave some tantalising hints about what could be in store at an event hosted by partner University of Dundee on Wednesday.
She said storytelling would be a key element of a visit to Eden Project Dundee.
Eden will working with top creative talent to present the research and knowledge from academics in the most impactful way.
The Dundee destination will be a mixture of immersive experiences, theatre, art and culture and digital interaction. It will also have “living landscapes”.
“We want to engage, pull on heartstrings and inspire people,” Sarah added.
“We also won’t shy away from jeopardy and impactful moments.
“Humanity needs a bit of a shock for people to realise we are now at a tipping point and we need to take drastic actions.
“But the strongest element will be hope and solutions. We are never going to be telling people ‘we’re all bad look at what we’ve done’.
“We want to tell people where we are now so we can move on and make it better together.”
Turning Dundee gasworks into ‘earthworks’
Sarah said she hopes people will “learn from nature and reconnect to nature” and take action in response to the climate emergency.
She added: “The concept we are working with is to take the gasworks and turn it into the ‘earthworks’. It’s going to be a demonstration of regeneration in action.
“By regeneration, we mean more than sustainability – it’s actively make things better.
“And we’ll apply the principles of regeneration not just to places, but to people to create a happy, healthy future.”
Nine new guilds of Dundee
Eden Project Dundee will also ramp up its activity with the community.
Caishlan Sweeney, Eden Project’s community campaign manager in Dundee, said she hopes people will get involved in the nine new guilds of Dundee.
These have names like healers, growers, navigators, menders and myth makers.
She said: “The guilds will help us connect with people locally and globally.
“We want them to be open and inclusive for anyone to get involved. Each guild will have its own mission.
“They could also have an embassy and places to showcase their work. This could be an empty shop, someone’s business, a community centre or a wildflower garden.
“We will also showcase these guilds within the earthworks site.”
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