Dundee chief 'emotional' over new stadium vision

Dundee managing director John Nelms says he got "emotional" when viewing a new animation of the football club's proposed £95m stadium and event campus.

The Camperdown Stadium project is currently awaiting planning permission in principle, with a decision due from Dundee City Council this autumn.

Now architect Holmes Miller has released a video that takes fans on a journey from their current Dens Park, the Scottish Premiership club's home for the last 125 years, to the proposed new multi-use arena in the north of the city.

"We hope the fans will be as excited as we were when we saw the animation of the new stadium," Nelms, who is also director of Dark Blue Property Holdings Ltd, said.

"In a way, it brings us a tantalising step closer to realising the dream and bringing the vision to life for our fans."

The proposal also includes a 140-room hotel, a concert venue, a 250-capacity brewhouse and hospitality facilities, with the stadium "built to the highest standards of sustainability", including 100% recyclable seating, a "green roof" to promote biodiversity, rainwater re-harvesting, e-bus terminal, cycle hub and EV charging facilities.

Dundee have been working on a new stadium since 2016 as Dens Park is costing £700,000 per year to maintain its current condition and building a new stadium there is not viable because it is in the middle of a residential area only yards from city rivals Dundee United's Tannadice Park.

The club say their staff have been "re-energised" by moving their football operation to Angus College’s Gardyne Campus "and we believe the players will do the same at the new stadium", which they claim will deliver an estimated £162m of benefits above and beyond the investment itself to the local economy in the first 25 years alone.

Meanwhile, Dundee have also applied for planning permission to build a new training ground at the waterfront on Riverside Drive.