As of today (Wednesday May 27):
• The Eden Project is to begin work on a feasibility study for a proposed new project in Dundee
• A new video has been posted encouraging people to stay active during the pandemic
More than 120 newly launched small businesses have been supported by hardship grants in Dundee since the scheme was launched.
The grants are for newly self-employed people who have lost business to COVID-19, are facing financial hardship and are ineligible for other avenues of COVID-19 government support.
To be eligible applicants must have become self-employed on or after 6 April 2019, demonstrate that they were actively trading up to March 2020, are not be in receipt of other forms of COVID-19 business support or in receipt of working age benefits, and do not have access to sufficient savings or other sources of income to meet basic needs.
Alan Ross convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “It is critical that as many people who are eligible for this grant as possible make an application.
“The one-off payment of £2000 each could be the difference between someone’s livelihood continuing or going under.
“Our economy is a rich mix of all shapes and sizes of businesses and self-employed people are a valuable and valued element of it.”
A total of 125 grants totalling £250,000 have been made since the scheme was launched on April 30.
Detailed information on the fund is available from https://bit.ly/3fE8pFq while an application can be made at https://bit.ly/3biLTyB
Meanwhile, the Eden Project is to begin work on a feasibility study for a proposed new project in Dundee
Eden is working with Dundee City Council and the University of Dundee and the study is being supported by businesses and institutions in the area.
The proposal – provisionally known as Eden Project Scotland - is part of Eden’s portfolio of international projects which also includes developments in China, Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica as well as UK projects including in Morecambe, Derry~Londonderry and Portland.
The feasibility study, which is due to commence in early June, will establish a suitable site for the project, begin developing content ideas and explore the potential for creating jobs and boosting the regional economy.
Like every Eden Project around the world, Eden Project Scotland will be transformational and regenerative with an overarching theme of humanity’s connection to the natural world.
The original Eden Project, located near St Austell in Cornwall, opened in March 2001 and boasts the world-famous geodesic Biomes, one of which houses the world’s biggest undercover rainforest. Eden has welcomed more than 22 million visitors since opening and has generated more than £2bn for the regional economy.
John Alexander, Dundee City Council leader, said: “We are delighted to be working with Eden Project International and our local and national partners on such an exciting collaboration.
“There’s a clear alignment between what Eden is known for – sustainability, education and a first-class visitor experience – and what we want to deliver here in Dundee.
“Bringing Eden Project Scotland to Dundee would not only mean securing an amazing asset for local people to enjoy, but also adding another world-class attraction to our future visitor offer.
“Tourism was a key pillar of the Dundee economy before the devastating events of the past few months, and it will be again.
“The vision, ambition and determination embodied in projects like such as Eden - and V&A Dundee before it - will be critical to creating jobs and prosperity as we as a city recover and rebuild.”
Finally, a new video has been released to encourage people to keep healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.
The film from the Green Health Partnership shows simple steps that can be taken to stay active.
You can view it here https://www.dundeecity.gov.uk/coronavirus/keeping-healthy-during-covid-19
The full list of council services affected by Coronavirus can be found on the Dundee City Council website.
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%.
