I was delighted to hear the fantastic news that Dundee will be getting £20 million of funding from the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund to help fund for projects and regeneration opportunities in the city.
Dundee is the first city in Scotland to receive this specific funding package which will help key projects in the city in the years to come.
I was delighted to read that the funding will help towards Dundee’s incredible life sciences industry, which continues to be an amazing success story with £2 million being invested in the proposed Life Sciences district, a development that will hopefully bring more opportunities to the city.
Dundee and Angus College having a new campus building in the city is brilliant for the college as it allows more opportunities for the college, so funding there is good.
On top of all the exciting developments that will come from this project, one does delight me the most, and that is the £1.2 million that was announced to be given to the Dundee Museum of Transport to help fund for the Maryfield Tram Depot restoration.
It was just the cherry on top.
I have watched to see the restoration project go from strength to strength and following on from the museum’s funding push with their “Sponsor a Brick” which helped them reach their goal before the deadline, this added boost is brilliant to see.
More investment needed
There were things, however, that I was quite sceptical over in terms of the funding.
One such example being the £3 million towards the office block development.
I understand that more business helps Dundee’s economy thrive, and that is welcome, but there doesn’t seem to be any much benefit to Dundonians – and we already have empty offices that can be redeveloped in Dundee’s Technology Park.
This is something that is always brought up in conversation with people whenever there is a discussion about progress at the waterfront.
As Dundee continues to grow as an influential cultural hub in not just Scotland or the UK, but internationally, more funding is needed for the city.
Although £20 million is great and is a substantial amount, I think more should be invested because there is a lot more needing done in Dundee.
It is good to hear that money will be spent to help revive the city centre. I am happy that money will be used to refurbish and reuse old buildings in the centre that have been left empty.
Overall, this is all good news for Dundee, and being the first area in Scotland to receive such funding is a vote of confidence in the opportunities that Dundee has.
Although I don’t bring up politics in my professional work, I do want to put on record that whoever forms the next government after the general election needs to commit more funding to Dundee within the next parliamentary term, and the wider arts and culture sector as a whole across the country.
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