Bell Street car park: How long will Dundee facility be closed and what is happening?

Dundee’s Bell Street car park is no longer open to the public as work gets underway on a multimillion-pound redevelopment project.

The ageing facility is being transformed into a green travel hub which, when completed, will include around 350 electrical vehicle charging points, car share spaces, and an e-bike hire service.

Enabling works worth £4.5 million have already begun – which has resulted in the complete closure of the car park.

But how long will the Bell Street multi-storey be shut and what exactly is planned for the site?

How long will Bell Street car park be shut?

The multi-storey car park has been completely since March 18.

Initial construction work – which will include mechanical and electrical services strip out, concrete repairs, and waterproofing – is expected to run until December.

However, the car park will be closed for around 20 months. 

There will be no public access during that time and Dundee City Council is asking motorists to make alternative parking arrangements.

Why is Bell Street shutting?

The car park, which was built in the 1970s, is getting transformed into a “pioneering” green travel hub.

Dundee City Council says the project will change people’s travel habits for the future.

The proposals include installing electric vehicle charging points and creating electric vehicle car club spaces.

Also included is plans for bike hire and storage for residents, students, businesses, commuters, and visitors to the city centre.

The roof level of the multi-storey will be fitted with solar panels.

The hub will also create enhanced walking and cycling links to the city centre.

It’s expected car parking capacity in Bell Street will be reduced by around half.

A full planning application for the refurbishment and transformation of the ground floor into a cycle hub was submitted by the local authority in May.

How much is the green travel hub project costing?

The regeneration of Bell Street car park is being funded by £14 million Dundee City Council secured from the UK’s Levelling Up Fund last year.

This equates to around 90% of the total cost of the project.

A further £850,000 will come from the authority’s capital plan, while £150,000 could be made available if the council is successful in bidding for an Innovate UK grant for deploying a new type of disabled charging hardware.

What has the public reaction been?

CGI images of the Bell Street car park regeneration received a mixed response from locals when they were released by Dundee City Council earlier this year.

Taking to The Courier and Evening Telegraph social media pages, some expressed their belief more needed to be done to fix the everyday issues.

Gary Gilmour wrote: “First, Dundee City Council need to focus on sorting out the basics – like the countless potholes on the roads!

“Enough of the patch-up jobs that only last a couple weeks.”

But others welcomed the plans – adding that levelling up funds have to be used for transformational projects.

Angela Jill wrote: “It’s good they got a large amount to at least do something good with it.”