HM Queen Elizabeth II Opens Slessor Gardens in Dundee

Yesterday morning I attended the opening of Slessor Gardens by HM The Queen who was accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.

The Lord Provost, Councillor Bob Duncan, welcomed the Queen and Prince Philip to the City and then Primary Pupils sang two songs and young people, all black belts from Kanzen Karate, provided a skillful and entertaining karate display.

The Queen opened Slessor Gardens by unveiling a commemorative plaque. I am standing by this in my photograph taken after the ceremony. 

The Slessor Gardens are an integral part of the redevelopment of the Dundee Waterfront and provide a new public open space, a city green, between the Caird Hall and the under construction VandA at Dundee Museum of Design and the river. 

While the construction work is still ongoing at the Train Station and the VandA, and other cleared sites are currently vacant, the new road network and this fine open space, Slessor Gardens, are welcome forerunners of the new waterfront being developed week by week in our city.

Visit to VandA Dundee Construction Site

Earlier today, I took the opportunity to visit the VandA Dundee construction site with a group of City Councillors. This seemed important for three key reasons.

Firstly, when I was first elected in May 2007, I was an enthusiast for bringing the VandA Design Museum to Dundee when this idea was broached. I was therefore keen to see how the construction of this iconic building was progressing.

Secondly, this design museum, and it future role as the 'anchor project at the redeveloped Dundee Waterfront, embodies many of our hopes for a brighter economic and cultural future for our City. 

Thirdly, on Monday evening the Policy and Resources Committee of the Council will be considering a progress report on the VandA Dundee and the opportunity for a site visit brought this report to life and helped me prepare for the meeting. 

What I could see and was shown was the emergence of the Kengo Kuma and Associates' designed building. Appropriately, it is rising phoenix like with its foundations built using the recycled crushed rubble from the unloved Tayside House that was demolished on the other side of the waterfront site.

Dundee: One City, Many Discoveries.

Commenting On the Approval of the V and A at Dundee Planning Application

At the Development Management meeting on Monday night, the Committee approved the planning application for the V and A at Dundee.

The Committee papers described the application as follows:


1.1 The proposal under consideration seeks full planning permission for the construction of the V and A at Dundee museum building and extension to Riverside Walk. As part of the enabling works for the proposed V and A at Dundee site the existing Craig Harbour is to be infilled.


1.2 V and A at Dundee is a proposal for an international centre of design for Scotland. It will celebrate Scotland’s historic importance in design and host major exhibitions of international design that will appeal to the widest public and help develop understanding of our own and others’ cultural heritage. V and A at Dundee project will provide dedicated exhibition space, interpretation and a range of activities that will allow diverse audiences to see, explore, understand and be inspired by creative evolution and their design heritage, in a way that makes it physically and intellectually accessible.
1.3 The proposal is part of the Dundee Waterfront Development Masterplan which has been developed and is being implemented by the Dundee Waterfront Project (a public sector partnership between Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise). The master plan includes the redevelopment of the Railway Station, demolition of the Olympia Leisure Centre and Tayside House along with the reshaping of the current traffic road layout to enhance the relationship between Dundee City Centre and the River Tay.


1.4 The application site measures approximately 1.2774 hectares and will involve the provision of a 3 storey structure with a total foot area of 8,445m2 and overall approximate height of 18.3m (see figures 1 and 2). The Kengo Kuma proposal incorporates a building of international design significance. The internal and external walling is to be constructed in reconstituted stone and concrete to compliment the traditional construction materials used in Dundee.

This approval is clearly an important milestone in the redevelopment of the waterfront in Dundee with immense significance for the city and wider region. 

In the period running up to the opening of the V and A at Dundee, there is an enormous amount of enabling work to be undertaken so that Dundee and Broughty Ferry can provide a positive experience for the many tens of thousands of additional visitors that will be attracted to the V and A in our city.

A Warning from History - Tayside House is Being Torn Down

Tayside House is being torn down and its final few floors will soon disappear soon into a heap of rubble.

During a period when the demolition was proceeding at a very slow pace, Dundee's most unloved city centre office block appeared to be hanging on.

It's period of somewhat undignified and lingering demise is however now rapidly coming to a close and we can really believe that this blot on the landscape will be gone forever.

For City Councillors, it should however remain a warning from history. We must take great care when we are asked to grant planning permission for large scale and prominent structures like Tayside House at a gateway into the city because a mistake can lead to decades of negative impressions.

V&A at Dundee Architect Kengo Kuma to give Public Lecture in the City Monday February 18th

Kengo Kuma, architect of the new V&A at Dundee, will discuss his approach to architecture and how a new relationship is being formed between people and place at a public lecture in Dundee later this month.

Kengo Kuma will talk about his projects around the world as well as updating progress on his thoughts and designs for the V&A at Dundee. 

The `Power of Place' lecture will take place at the Dalhousie Building, University of Dundee, at 6pm on Monday February 18th.

Kengo Kuma previously gave public lectures in Dundee in May 2011, when the initial event was so heavily oversubscribed that an extra session had to be added to accommodate over 1400 interested people.

Tickets for this lecture are free but advance booking is recommended. They can be reserved from the University of Dundee Events office, online at www.dundee.ac.uk/tickets, by emailing events@dundee.ac.uk, or by calling  01382 385564 or  01382 385108.

Check Out the Latest Flythrough Showing VandA at Dundee in its New Location

If you've decided to stay inside rather than venture out in the snow to the Public Consultation Event about the new location and design for the VandA in Dundee, then check out this video:

More details about the Consultation Event which will also be open 10:00 - 16:00 at Abertay University in Bell Street on Saturday 19 January 2013

Public Consultation on Revised Design and Location for V and A at Dundee Thursday 17 - Saturday 20 January 2013

Now is your opportunity to see and comment on the latest revised design and location for the VandA at Dundee.

The new plans are available at the public consultation at the University of Abertay Dundee from today Thursday 17 January through to Saturday 19 January 2013, 10am - 4pm at the Bernard King Library, University of Abertay Dundee, Bell Street, Dundee DD1 1HG - look for the big yellow banner!

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Dundee Waterfront Video

In case you missed it, here is the inspirational video about the Waterfront Project in Dundee City Centre. This is the vision which is driving the current alterations to the approaches to the Tay road bridge, the eventual demolition of Tayside House and the relocation of the Swimming Pool. It will also give pride of place to the VandA.

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New Olympia Swimming Pool Construction Starting Soon

Earlier this evening, at the Policy & Resources Committee, we approved the acceptance of a tender for the construction of a new city centre swimming pool. The new pool complex will be constructed on the Allan Street car park site. Work on the £24 million pound contract will begin in January 2011. The contract includes provision for competitive and leisure swimming as well as a multi-storey car park. After the new swimming centre opens, towards the end of 2012, the old Olympia can be demolished as part of the redevelopment plans for the city centre waterfront.

Winning Design for the V&A Museum in Dundee

This morning, the winning design for the V&A Museum in Dundee, by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma, was announced.

Lesley Knox, Chair of the V&A at Dundee project and of the jury panel said:

"We were delighted by the quality of all the designs which were submitted to the competition and I think this is reflected in the huge public interest which our exhibition of models has generated,

Kengo Kuma's proposal was the unanimous choice of the jury panel and is a worthy winner; a building that will delight visitors and encourage them to revisit it again and again. It demonstrates a clear understanding of the city, offers a new experience of the river, and will be as exciting internally as it will be externally.

This has the potential to be one of Europe's most exciting buildings."

The winning architectural practice will now engage with the partners in the V&A at Dundee project to further develop the proposal. Detailed design work will continue throughout 2011 and work is projected to start on site in autumn 2012.

I hope that the development of the V&A in Dundee will not only bring an iconic building and world class museum and gallery to the north bank of he Tay but also attract other investors to engage with the completion the City Council's waterfront redevelopment and thereby bring more employment to the city.

Exhibition of Designs for V & A at Dundee

FREE Admission to Exhibition

Wednesday 29 September to Thursday 4 November
Abertay University Library, Bell Street, Dundee DD1 1HG

Opening Hours

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 09.00 – 21.00
Wednesday 09.00 - 17.00