Dundee's central waterfront could be given special protection measures that would limit advertising to preserve the area’s unique status.
Councillors will be asked to approve an Area of Special Control that would allow planners to ensure a high-quality environment is maintained.
Mark Flynn convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “There’s no point in successfully linking the city centre with the estuary, encouraging high-quality architecture and innovative design and having an accessible streetscape and then allowing it to be plastered with advertising that is not in keeping with the vision that is being delivered.”
Will Dawson convener of the council’s planning committee said: “Under these new proposals it is clear there will still be some advertising at the waterfront but they would give the council a greater level of control on what goes there, what it looks like and where it is placed.”
According to a report to be discussed by the city development committee on Monday (September 7) much of the city centre is designated as a Conservation Area which provides greater control over the visual appearance of the area. However, it does not extend into the central waterfront.
The area surrounding the V&A Dundee, Discovery Point, Slessor Gardens and the emerging Waterfront Place as well as Black Watch Parade, Whaler’s Lane and the plaza at the entrance to the railway station would be included within the new measures.
Shop signage and other associated advertising are an accepted part of a city centre but the precautionary approach of designating an Area of Special Control gives the council an opportunity to ensure that advertising is implemented in a way that reflects the importance of the location.
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%.
