New £16 million Dundee centre for performing arts given approval

A new centre for performing and visual arts is set to be created in Dundee’s former Post Office headquarters – three years after it was snapped up by an independent school.The city council has given its backing to the £16 million vision for the 19th century building, which is expected to provide a huge boost to Dundee’s cultural infrastructure.The school believes the site, which is close to both its own campus and adjacent to the city’s McManus Galleries in the Meadowside area, will boast arts facilities “second to none among UK schools.”The Ward Road building, which was turned into a nightclub in the 1990s, will become home to a 300-seater auditorium suitable for companies like Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, which is also based in the city, to use.Specialist facilities for music, dance, drama and visual arts will be created in the centre for excellence,” which is expected to take two years to complete, with work hoped to begin by next March.The complex, which will feature a recording studio and a roof terrace which will be available for outdoor classes, and for use by arts organisations, community groups and conference organisers.