V & A at Dundee: welcome for site announcement and design competition


The University of Dundee today announced the proposed site for the V & A at Dundee and also that the design will be chosen by a architectural competition. You can read details of the announcement on the University's website.

I welcome these developments which continue the work begun by the previous Labour-led Administration. This project is good news for Dundee and it is now important that it is delivered. It is fair to say that there is still a great deal of work to be done before the project is delivered but this is a good start.

The site which has been chosen, between Discovery Point and Olympia Leisure Centre is an interesting one and the proposal to build out into the Tay will hopefully bring an iconic building to Dundee. (The picture above shows where the site will be, click on the picture to read the BBC report.) An architectural competition is an exciting way to develop the site. I hope that this will attract interest from across the world and lead to the building being at the cutting edge of design. I also hope that the design will reflect the museum's setting on the waterfront in Dundee and that the design will reflect influences from Dundee and Scotland.

I support the efforts to bring a branch of this British institution to the banks of the Tay. I think that these proposals demonstrate that Dundee is a city which promotes culture and I look forward to further developments in this project in due course.


I particularly like the site as it is just inside the West End ward. For an idea about the strengths of the V & A visit their website.