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19 Jul 2023

Eden Project Dundee will celebrate myth-makers and alchemists

The Eden Project has revealed new visuals for its planned Dundee project in the city’s East Docks, with architecture by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios.

The images show plans for an attraction which has been inspired by the Nine Incorporated Trades of Dundee – a group formed in the 16th century to bring professions from bakers to tailors into a single organisation with more bargaining power.

Eden Project Dundee will be themed around nine new “Guilds” – of Healers, Growers, Navigators, Myth-Makers, Noticers, Alchemists, Celebrators, Menders and 'Re-Sourcerors'.

Each Guild will have its Guild Hall on the main Eden Project Dundee site.

The Guild Halls will form the central experience spaces for Eden Project Dundee visitors and will include areas such as the Lookout, which celebrates connections between people and the natural world; the Lush Bunker, a high-tech zone showcasing new ways to grow plants and featuring hyper-real journeys into the air, soil and water; and the Seam, a collection of emotional, story-driven experiences related to mining and its alternatives.

In addition, the project will combine exhibits, performance, learning, play, immersive experiences, world class horticulture, live music, art and food, beverage and retail spaces, all integrated as essential parts of the overall experience.

Described as a "powerful symbol of regeneration", the Dundee site has been designed to echo the project’s home in Cornwall which is located in a former clay quarry.

The proposed site – the former Dundee Gasworks – is located close to the Dundee waterfront on the bank of the River Tay and is less than a mile away from the Kengo Kuma-designed V&A Dundee and the city's main train station.

Eden predicts that the project will create 200 jobs (with an additional 300 indirectly created) and contribute £27m per year to the regional economy.

According to David Harland, Eden Project International CEO, Building Eden Project Dundee in the preferred location would also provide an eastern anchor for the Dundee Waterfront regeneration project.

"The former Dundee Gasworks site is by far the best location for our Scottish home and we’re delighted to have a formal agreement in place to start working on a detailed plan," Harland said.

“The feasibility study was like nothing we’ve ever worked on before, coming as it did during lockdown.

"Against all the odds, the hard work and dedication of our partners in Dundee shone through – even when we could only talk to them through a computer screen, their passion for the project, their city and country was palpable.

"Alongside the generous engagement of local businesses and community groups, this has come together, such that we now have a project with genuine air under its wings.”

The scheme is currently at the public consultation stage, with meetings being held on the following dates:

26 July – Arthurstone Library
18 August – Douglas Community Centre
13 September – The Ardler Complex

Eden Project Dundee has already taken residents' views into account in getting the scheme to its current stage and this formal public consultation process has been planned as a continuation of this work.

The full planning application is expected to be made in Q3 this year (2023).

Read Attractions Managements exclusive interview with David Harland and Tim Smitherefor a full list of Eden Project developments around the world.