Eden Project Dundee and its partners have agreed a funding package of £7.6m that will take it through the next stages of detailed design and development, getting the project ready for construction.
The agreement follows the completion of the Eden Project Dundee’s pollination study, and a series of community programmes in Dundee, starting with the planting of wildflower meadows, are already underway.
“This is a hugely significant moment for Eden Project Dundee,” said David Harland, chief executive of Eden Project International.
“Not only does it fund work on the project up to the point of shovels going into the ground but also demonstrates the huge confidence the city of Dundee and its institutions have shown for our vision.”
Eden Project Dundee‘s partners – Dundee City Council, the Northwood Charitable Trust and the University of Dundee – will all contribute to the funding pot.
The development, built at the former Dundee Gasworks, is projected to attract more than 500,000 annual visitors, generating £27m of economic impact on the region every year.
Detailed design and development
It will create 200 direct jobs and support an additional 300 jobs. The construction phase is expected to bring an additional £171m to the regional economy.
Eden Project Dundee will be located less than a mile away from V&A Dundee. “Everyone at Eden is energised by this project and inspired by the enviable ambition of the city,” Harland added.
“The gasworks site is unique and brimming with opportunities for an attraction that Dundonians can feel proud to call their own.”
Dundee City Council leader John Alexander, said the project will deliver “hundreds of jobs, huge visitor numbers and tens of millions of pounds into the local economy”.
Blair Thomson, director of the Northwood Charitable Trust, said it will be “transformative for Dundee”.
Professor Iain Gillespie, principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Dundee, said the new Eden “provides the opportunity for us to develop our city as a beacon for social and environmental sustainability”.
Eden Project North, which will reimagine Morecambe a seaside resort for the 21st century, has been granted planning permission by Lancaster City Council.
Images: Eden Project International
