Reconnecting Dundee to the water

From major European trading port in the 16th century to world-leading industrial hub in the 19th century, to internationally acclaimed centre for academia, research and technological innovation in the 21st century, the City of Dundee has never been afraid to shift focus and move with the times.

Historically, the City's maritime location and its harbour were crucial to trade and successful business. However, with the decline and loss of its docklands in the middle of the 20th century, the City lost its fundamental connection to the water.

Although the City still carries some of the legacy of a post-industrial city, its new image is being forged from the high regard that international academic and creative organisations have for its recent outputs in the knowledge and arts sectors.

The Waterfront Project

The Dundee Waterfront Project will reconnect the city with its historic riverside. This ambitious thirty year scheme is now well underway.

Through almost a billion of pounds of investment, the Waterfront Project is transforming the city of Dundee into a world-class destination for visitors and businesses. V&A at Dundee will have the most prominent position in this ambitious scheme, helping to redefine impressions of the city. The planned changes include:

• A series of five connected regeneration projects stretching along an 8 kilometer coastline of the River Tay estuary
• Reconnecting the City to the waterfront with the creation of a high-quality, mixed-use urban quarter by the riverside, right in the heart of the City
• A new street grid with a good balance between buildings and urban spaces including a new central water feature
• Excellent walking, cycling and public transport routes and a new rail station and arrival square

It is intended that construction work will start on the V&A at Dundee site in 2013, with an anticipated opening in 2015.