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Dundee Union Street transformation takes step forward as final proposals unveiled

Dundee City Council has been working alongside the UNESCO City of Design team to create a concept of how city centre street could be improved.

By Laura Devlin

April 14 2024, 7:00am

Consultation with the local community has been ongoing for a number of years. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

Plans to redesign Dundee’s Union Street have taken a step forward as a 3-D model of its potential transformation is revealed.

Over the past three years, Dundee City Council has been working alongside the UNESCO City of Design team to create a concept of how city centre thoroughfare could be improved.

The project, which has been funded by the sustainable transport charity Sustrans, has brought together designers and the local community who have worked in tandem to create the proposal.

It follows on from the closure and pedestrianisation of the street, which was implemented during summer 2020.

Desire for green spaces

Five key themes emerged from the process – which included a desire for more green space and landscaping, and a ‘gateway’ introducing people to the location.

Annie Marrs, lead officer for City of Design Dundee said: “The project has brought together designers and people from the local community.

Annie Marrs and Councillor Steven Rome with the 3-D model. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

“The designers developed different tools and methods to help people get their creativity out.

“The first stages were about gathering knowledge of the street and what people what to see.

“The second phase was then thinking about the inspiration behind the design and encourage people to tell us their ideas.

“And through all of that, the designers were able to distil it down into a final proposal that we now have on display.”

Designers Linsey McIntosh and Gary Kennedy with the model. Image: Dundee City Council.

Funding pitch next in line

The next stage of the project will see team pitch their ideas to the Scottish Government in a bid to secure the funding needed to make the transformation a reality – with work potentially beginning in early 2025.

And Councillor Steven Rome, convenor of the fair work, economic growth and infrastructure committee, says he is confident of success.

The team will now seek funding from the Scottish Government to make the transformation a reality. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DC Thomson.

He said: “You can’t underestimate the work that has been done to get to this stage and going forward, it’s going to have support if we can evidence that.

“You have the most success when you have that planning behind something.”

The drawings and models will be kept on display at the Dundee Design House on Union Street until April 19.