Work on a £9 million project to transform a historic Dundee building into a landmark hotel could start before the end of the year, developers say.
The Unicorn Property Group wants to turn Customs House into a 104-bedroom boutique hotel. Between 34 and 38 of them will be in the existing building while a modern extension designed to “float” about the former port authority’s headquarters will be created on its south side. The company says the extension is necessary to make project financially viable.
Although public consultation on the plans only opened on Wednesday, company director Tim Allan said it is likely investors will want to complete work on the existing building by April next year because a tax allowance scheme created to help regenerate old buildings ends next year. Work on the modern extension can be completed at a later date, although is likely to start concurrently.
Historic Scotland has demanded the extension be clearly distinguishable from the existing building so the curved structure will be built on a steel frame, stand on stilts and have zinc cladding. A courtyard will be situated between the old and new parts of the hotel, should plans be approved.
Unicorn Property Group, which owns Customs House, has drawn up the plans for the conversion in conjunction with Historic Scotland because it is an A-listed building. A hotel chain is already interested in managing the hotel but Unicorn intends to sell the building to a consortium of investors rather than run it itself.
Mr Allan said that, although a planning application has not yet been submitted to Dundee City Council, he expects work to begin quickly should it be granted.
“One of the things that makes Customs House so interesting is that it benefits from BPRA (business premises rates allowance), introduced by the last Labour government for five years and comes to an end next year. It is so important to places like this, which are important in employing people.
“Work in the old buildings will need to be done by April 2012, so we will need to be clearing the site and working on the old building in summer and winter.”
He said the coalition government should extend the BPRA scheme to help push regeneration in places like Dundee.
“It is something the Scottish Government should be calling for,” he said.
Continued…
Although the proposed hotel will sit between the existing Apex and Holiday Inn hotels, Mr Allan said he is in no doubt there will still be demand for it in Dundee, particularly if the offshoot of the Victoria and Albert Museum opens in 2015 and the city becomes a renewable energy hub.
He said market research showing there is demand for the hotel had been completed before plans to bring the V&A to Dundee had been announced.
“The single most important thing for us is bringing this building back to life,” he said. “When the V&A was mooted and plans started becoming concrete, people started asking us about Customs House. We did extensive market research and it will address business demand for the city.
“Dundee has gone through a revolution in the last decade and that is going to carry on. If the renewables sector takes off, then international companies that set up in the Tayside are will have to stay somewhere.”
Fellow director Steven Garry added, “By 2015/16 Scotland’s fifth largest visitor attraction will be 200 yards from Customs House. There will be a huge need that the city has everything to satisfy tourists.”
The new hotel has been designed by jmarchitects, who worked on Steven Holl Architects’ unsuccessful design for the V&A building. Architect Ryan Fletcher described Customs House as a “rabbit warren” that was not suitable for residential or office accommodation. Also, the hotel would not be run by a budget chain.
Unicorn received the Dundee Civic Trust Award, by converting the Clock Tower building into flats and building 350 houses and apartments and more than 200,000 square feet of office space.
Although the proposed hotel will sit between the existing Apex and Holiday Inn hotels, Mr Allan said he is in no doubt there will still be demand for it in Dundee, particularly if the offshoot of the Victoria and Albert Museum opens in 2015 and the city becomes a renewable energy hub.
He said market research showing there is demand for the hotel had been completed before plans to bring the V&A to Dundee had been announced.
“The single most important thing for us is bringing this building back to life,” he said. “When the V&A was mooted and plans started becoming concrete, people started asking us about Customs House. We did extensive market research and it will address business demand for the city.
“Dundee has gone through a revolution in the last decade and that is going to carry on. If the renewables sector takes off, then international companies that set up in the Tayside are will have to stay somewhere.”
Fellow director Steven Garry added, “By 2015/16 Scotland’s fifth largest visitor attraction will be 200 yards from Customs House. There will be a huge need that the city has everything to satisfy tourists.”
The new hotel has been designed by jmarchitects, who worked on Steven Holl Architects’ unsuccessful design for the V&A building. Architect Ryan Fletcher described Customs House as a “rabbit warren” that was not suitable for residential or office accommodation. Also, the hotel would not be run by a budget chain.
Unicorn received the Dundee Civic Trust Award, by converting the Clock Tower building into flats and building 350 houses and apartments and more than 200,000 square feet of office space.
Although the proposed hotel will sit between the existing Apex and Holiday Inn hotels, Mr Allan said he is in no doubt there will still be demand for it in Dundee, particularly if the offshoot of the Victoria and Albert Museum opens in 2015 and the city becomes a renewable energy hub.
He said market research showing there is demand for the hotel had been completed before plans to bring the V&A to Dundee had been announced.
“The single most important thing for us is bringing this building back to life,” he said. “When the V&A was mooted and plans started becoming concrete, people started asking us about Customs House. We did extensive market research and it will address business demand for the city.
“Dundee has gone through a revolution in the last decade and that is going to carry on. If the renewables sector takes off, then international companies that set up in the Tayside are will have to stay somewhere.”
Fellow director Steven Garry added, “By 2015/16 Scotland’s fifth largest visitor attraction will be 200 yards from Customs House. There will be a huge need that the city has everything to satisfy tourists.”
The new hotel has been designed by jmarchitects, who worked on Steven Holl Architects’ unsuccessful design for the V&A building. Architect Ryan Fletcher described Customs House as a “rabbit warren” that was not suitable for residential or office accommodation. Also, the hotel would not be run by a budget chain.
Unicorn received the Dundee Civic Trust Award, by converting the Clock Tower building into flats and building 350 houses and apartments and more than 200,000 square feet of office space.
Although the proposed hotel will sit between the existing Apex and Holiday Inn hotels, Mr Allan said he is in no doubt there will still be demand for it in Dundee, particularly if the offshoot of the Victoria and Albert Museum opens in 2015 and the city becomes a renewable energy hub.
He said market research showing there is demand for the hotel had been completed before plans to bring the V&A to Dundee had been announced.
“The single most important thing for us is bringing this building back to life,” he said. “When the V&A was mooted and plans started becoming concrete, people started asking us about Customs House. We did extensive market research and it will address business demand for the city.
“Dundee has gone through a revolution in the last decade and that is going to carry on. If the renewables sector takes off, then international companies that set up in the Tayside are will have to stay somewhere.”
Fellow director Steven Garry added, “By 2015/16 Scotland’s fifth largest visitor attraction will be 200 yards from Customs House. There will be a huge need that the city has everything to satisfy tourists.”
The new hotel has been designed by jmarchitects, who worked on Steven Holl Architects’ unsuccessful design for the V&A building. Architect Ryan Fletcher described Customs House as a “rabbit warren” that was not suitable for residential or office accommodation. Also, the hotel would not be run by a budget chain.
Unicorn received the Dundee Civic Trust Award, by converting the Clock Tower building into flats and building 350 houses and apartments and more than 200,000 square feet of office space.