Dundee set to approve £15.5m Waterfront office development

Work to create a £15.5 million office block in the heart of Dundee’s Waterfront is set to begin next month with the approval of a tender submitted by Robertson Construction.Councillors are being asked to approve the appointment of the contractor to build on land at Site 6, adjacent to the new V&A Museum.The five-floor development will include Grade A office space, ground floor commercial units, a service yard and dedicated parking.Due to be completed in February 2019, the building forms part of broader development on the site which received planning consent in the summer.A report being considered by the city development committee next week seeks approval to accept the tender submitted by Robertson Construction on behalf of Wilmott Dixon.Funding for the project is available as part of the Scottish Government’s Growth Accelerator Fund and prudential borrowing from income received from leasing the commercial units within the building.The report, by executive director of city development Mike Galloway, notes that there will also be a community benefits programme including guarantees to employ local labour, apprenticeships and local contract spend.It also confirms that all employees working for main contractor Robertson Construction and all sub-contractors on the site will be paid the Living Wage, currently £8.75 and due to go up every November.Meanwhile, a ten-year vision to build on the success of Dundee construction and infrastructure projects will also be considered by councillors next week.The Capital Investment Strategy links together a number of developments that will assist in policy areas like work & enterprise, children & families, healthcare & wellbeing and community safety and justice.Future planning for the school estate, green spaces, housing investment, smart cities digital and stronger communities are among the areas under focus.The council runs a five-year capital plan, with the current version sitting at investment levels of nearly £350m. While including these details, the Capital Investment Strategy illustrates the council’s longer-term thinking for programmes.The document also details a number of projects which are earmarked to take place under the Tay Cities Deal including a Comics Centre, the redevelopment of Dundee Contemporary Arts, an aviation skills partnership and the decommissioning opportunities being explored by the Dundeecom partnership.The council’s policy and resources committee meets on Monday December 11.