A new housing development just metres from his former home could feature a street named after one of Dundee’s most famous sons.
Councillors will consider whether to christen one of the roads in the development at the former Taybank Works in Morgan Street, Billy Mackenzie Street.
The suggestion to name the street after Billy Mackenzie, a former resident of Park Avenue and a worldwide music icon, came from the Stobswell Forum.
A consultation was carried out in March which sought the views of a variety of interested parties including local councillors; Mark Flynn, the convener of the city development committee; the city archivist and the development’s agent, KDM Architects.
The Mackenzie family were also consulted on the suggestion and regard it is an honour to the memory of Billy.
Mark Flynn said: “I am really pleased that not only have we been able to support a recommendation which came from the community, but also to recognise the indelible impact that Billy Mackenzie made on popular culture, not just in his native city, but across the world.”
Billy Mackenzie was born in Dundee in 1957 and attended St Mary's Forebank Primary School and St Michael's Secondary School. He went on to worldwide fame with his distinctive falsetto delivery with the band, The Associates, before solo work and collaborations with other major artists. He died in 1997.
The city development committee will consider the proposal at its meeting on Monday (May 10).
Dundee City Council
Dundee draws skilled workers from a 60-minute catchment population of 640,000 and has a local population of over 140,000. The availability of a large pool of highly skilled labour is a key feature in the Dundee economy. Flexibility in the labour force is currently more prevalent in Dundee than in Scotland as a whole. All forms of labour market flexibility - part-time, temporary employment, self-employment and shift work - are widely operational within the city. Labour force stability in the city is excellent, enabling companies to plan with confidence. Labour turnover levels are less than 5% and absenteeism averages 2%.
