Plans lodged for £20m Design and Innovation Quarter at Dundee Waterfront

Developers behind plans for a £20 million city square and creative hub to form part of Dundee’s £1 billion Waterfront development have submitted their application with the local authority.Inspired by the arrival of the V&A design museum, the £20m Design and Innovation Quarter will include studio, workshop, retail and living space for the creative industries, with the aim of retaining graduate talent in the city.Under the plans by developer Our Enterprise, the proposed facility on plot 2 of the central Waterfront area will form one side of a new city square next to the Malmaison hotel, railway station and V&A site.Two new city blocks, designed by architects HTA Design LLP, will include three main elements.On the ground floor of both blocks will be “design, make and sell” units, attracting creative businesses to showcase the best of Scottish design.Secondly, above the new ‘Hub’ for start-up businesses will be an apartment development geared to providing high quality city-centre living.The development will include 91 apartments and 10,750 sq ft of ground floor commercial units.Developers hope that these rented apartments will create a new urban community, offering light, modern apartments with the bonus of shared facilities such as large dining areas for social evenings with larger groups.