Dundee FC stadium: Q&A on Camperdown plans

A decision on Dundee FC’s application to build a new 12,500 seater stadium at Camperdown could be just weeks away.

The club hope their planning in principle application will be heard by Dundee City Council in January.

This is the first time the local authority’s planning committee is scheduled to meet in 2025.

A decision had initially been expected in August but has been repeatedly delayed as council officers requested more information from club chiefs.

This has dealt a blow to Dundee managing director John Nelms’ ambition to have the club in the new stadium next year.

But what will happen if the plans finally get the go-ahead and how soon could spades be in the ground?

The Courier takes a look at what happens next.

When will a decision on the Camperdown stadium be made?

Speaking to media in November, Dundee FC chief John Nelms said they were hopeful a hearing on the decision would happen in January.

This determination would be taken by the council’s planning committee, who are scheduled to meet on January 13.

If the Camperdown stadium application is on the agenda for this meeting, the committee will consider a report drafted by council planning officers.

This report will outline the following:

Details of the stadium proposal
Letters of objection and support submitted from public
Consultations with public bodies (e.g. Transport Scotland)
Policy considerations (e.g. Dundee Local Development Plan)

Dundee City Council’s planning committee will decide the application. Image DC Thomson.

Officers will conclude the report with a recommendation to the committee that they either grant or refuse planning permission.

The committee do not have to adhere to the recommendation.

If the application is not on the January agenda, a decision is unlikely to be made before the next scheduled planning committee meeting (February 10).

What happens if the application is refused?

Dundee FC say they have committed “time, energy and financial investment” to ensure there are no problems with the application.

They add that their “extensive group of consultants” have concluded the proposal is
“viable with no significant issues raised”.

Dundee's new stadium at Camperdown Park — A concourse outside the stadium. Image: Holmes Miller Architects.

But if Dundee City Council’s planning committee do decide to refuse planning permission, there are options open to the club.

If they wish, they may decide to appeal to Scottish Government ministers who have the power to overturn planning refusal.

Asked about a potential Plan B earlier this year, Nelms said on the club’s website that he believed the planning in principle application “answers all the questions” and “no significant issues” have been raised.

Why are Dundee FC looking to build a new stadium?

Dundee FC are currently based at Dens Park, which has been their home for 125 years.

But the club say they are spending £700,000 every year to maintain the current condition of the ageing infrastructure.

And building a new stadium on the site is “not viable” due to it being in the middle of a residential area.

Dundee chiefs also say there is no scope for the secondary income generators essential to any new investment.

Dundee FC have played at Dens Park for over 100 years. Image: Mark Scates/SNS Group.

What are included in the stadium plans?

If approved, the plans will see a 12,500 seater stadium built on the edge of Camperdown Park.

The ambitious application also includes proposals for 140-room hotel, 300-capacity beer hall, a residential development and a city crematorium.

However, plans for a training facility to be built on unused land at Camperdown were scrapped by the club in September.

It came after concerns from the Dundee Civic Trust, who flagged a decades-old planning law to council chiefs.

In November the club secured permission to build a new training ground at Riverside Drive.

Has there been any teething problems surrounding the application?

Dundee FC chiefs had hoped a decision on the planning in principle application would be made in August.

However, determination was delayed whilst Dundee City Council sought more information on the plans.

Transport Scotland, the body responsible for the trunk road network across the country, also raised several queries with Dee consultants regarding the impact the plans could have on the Kingsway.

In the application, club chiefs admitted the new facility could result in congestion on the Kingsway on matchdays.

The proposed layout of the junction at the entrance to Camperdown Park for Dundee FC’s proposed stadium. Supplied by Systra/Dundee FC.

To mitigate this, the Dark Blues want to have an access road directly from the A90 into their new stadium complex at Camperdown.

The training hub also proved to be a stumbling block, with the club admitting the majority of objections submitted against the application related to this.

Under the initial plans, this was the only part of the development to be built in Camperdown Park itself.

This was officially axed in Septembers when a new master plan was submitted.

Has there been opposition to the stadium project?

Dundee’s stadium plans have drawn criticism from the Dundee Civic Trust (DCT), who are concerned about proposed transport measures for the site.

DCT is a voluntary body and charitable trust which aims to encourage the highest standards of design in new buildings and regeneration projects.

Chairman of the Dundee Civic Trust Donald Gordon. Image: Mhairi Edwards/DCThomson

Members submitted a formal objection to the plans during the public consultation, saying parking, access to the stadium complex and traffic safety on the Kingsway are all issues to be considered.