Coronavirus: 'Good times will come again to Dundee'

Dundee Waterfront

A number of empty sites beside V&A Dundee are waiting to be redeveloped

By Andrew Anderson
BBC Scotland News

With the doors to its key attractions closed and nearby businesses temporarily boarded up, Dundee Waterfront lies silent as lockdown continues.

It is one of Scotland's biggest regeneration schemes, but those behind the £1bn project are now looking closely at how it may need to adapt to meet new challenges following the coronavirus pandemic.

The 30-year masterplan aims to reverse Dundee's long-term economic decline.

At its heart is V&A Dundee, which should be celebrating the work of iconic fashion designer Mary Quant in the museum's blockbuster exhibition of the year.

Covid-19 put a stop to that.

Museum bosses are now planning something of a re-launch when the doors eventually re-open.

The museum's Mary Quant exhibition will now run through the winter

V&A Dundee chairman Tim Allan said revenue from the exhibition, and the museum's cafe, restaurants, and shop, account for about a third of its income.

He said the museum would re-open with the Mary Quant exhibition, which was originally scheduled until September. It will now run throughout the winter.

He said: "The museum has targets to reach and these will be very challenging in these circumstances.

"The reopening of the museum will be key to the recovery from Covid. That's no different from any business or cultural institution across Scotland."

The redevelopment, pictured here in 2019, has the V&A Museum as its centrepiece.

Attracting new businesses to the empty sites waiting to be developed is another key part of Dundee's waterfront strategy.

Discussions with potential international investors are continuing but plans first laid 20 years ago may need to change.

Dundee City Council leader John Alexander said the project remains a "key part" of the city's economic plan.

He said: "Some of the individual components of that may have changed.

"We'll need to adapt as we move through this crisis, as we see how businesses change, and also the habits of us as individuals and consumers change."

John Alexander said the project remained a "key part" of Dundee's economic plan

Mr Alexander said "circumstances would dictate" any change of approach to the project.

He said: "For example, is there going to be a need for another hotel in the Waterfront development?

"We need to question that, we need to interrogate that, and we need to make sure that the decisions made are the right ones for the city of Dundee."

Patrick Rohde remains hopeful for his business' future post-lockdown

Patrick Rohde owns The Wine Press bar close to the waterfront.

He does not anticipate that the bar will open for "a good few months", but remains hopeful for the future post-lockdown.

He said: "People will be travelling abroad less, visiting places closer to home so if we lose out on international visitors, we will gain on domestic visitors I'd like to think.

"The momentum was there and I think that will kick off again in due course.

"We will recover, good times will come again to Dundee."