Work on a new Dundee city centre apartment block appears to be finally underway – two-and-a-half years after the plans were approved.
In November 2021, Dundee City Council gave the green-light to proposals to convert the six-storey block on the corner of Whitehall Crescent and Crichton Street into flats.
The block is above the former Mediterranean restaurant Antalia.
Under the plans, submitted by Glasgow-based Joup Property Ltd, 13 two-bedroom and one three-bedroom apartment will be created across the five upper floors.
It will also see the building given “modern brick cladding” to fit in better with surrounding properties.
A restaurant will also be retained on the ground floor of the property.
But despite the application being approved by the local authority more than two years ago, by the start of this year work had yet to begin on the block.
And pictures taken by The Courier in February showed the exterior boarded up and covered in graffiti.
However, construction work now appears to have begun at the site – with the windows stripped out and fencing erected around the building.
There is no indication at this stage when the work will be completed by. Representatives of Joup did not respond to requests for comment.
Multiple plans for tower block
The Crichton Street site has been subject to a number of planning applications over the years.
In 2016, plans were lodged by Assurance Developments Ltd to redevelop the location as a hotel, apartments, and a rooftop restaurant.
However a year later, the same firm made a bid to convert the block into 27 homes with a rooftop terrace.
Neither of these came to fruition and in 2020, a fresh application was submitted by Jamal Property World to form 16 flats, a rooftop extension and a restaurant on the ground floor.
A further application, by Joup Ltd, was lodged in August 2021.
A building warrant application was also submitted in March this year seeking permission to fit out the vacant ground floor into a café.
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