Arbroath town centre vision part of Dundee & Angus College plans

Arbroath town centre could be in line for a multi-million-pound redevelopment as Dundee and Angus College plots a radical campus move.

The college is looking to relocate from its existing Keptie Road base to the centre of the town.

One proposal being explored is developing the site occupied by the Abbeygate Shopping Centre.

The owners of the 40-year-old complex are considering several options and talks are ongoing.

The Abbeygate Shopping Centre is being looked at by college bosses. Image: BDP.

Angus Council leader Bill Duff is supportive of the potential move to Arbroath town centre.

He said: “We welcome this ambitious development for the college which already provides an impressive range of opportunities for our young people to develop their skills and education closer to home.

“We are excited about the possibilities that the college’s vision will bring for students from across the whole of Angus, as well as complementing the range of redevelopment projects taking place in Arbroath already.”

The current Arbroath campus. Image: Dundee & Angus College.

Arbroath secures £20m levelling up funding

Arbroath recently secured £20m in levelling-up funding which is earmarked to go towards the 10-year transformation of the town.

The spending strategy will be shaped members of the town board, set up earlier this year and led by businessman Peter Stirling.

The board also includes local MP Stephen Gethins, councillors Lois Speed and Jack Cruickshank, and Dundee and Angus College principal Simon Hewitt.

Mr Hewitt, who is leading the college expansion project, said: “In Arbroath, we have been developing incredibly exciting plans to put Dundee and Angus College firmly in the centre of the town where our staff and students would help provide a boost to the local economy.

A meeting of the Arbroath Town Board earlier this year. Image: Supplied.

“This would complement the plans and actions being developed by the Arbroath Town Board to improve the high street.”

The proposed college campus relocation forms part of a wider £265m regeneration plan.

Also proposed is the closure of the Kingsway campus in Dundee and relocation to a new facility on the site of the Wellgate Shopping Centre.

The existing Gardyne campus will also be expanded to create a new-purpose built STEM facility for construction, engineering and science opportunities.

The project cost is estimated at £265m.