It is home to the world’s largest indoor rainforest and has brought in more than £2 billion to the local economy since it opened two decades ago.
Now, the world-renowned Eden Project in Cornwall is opening a second site after a deal was struck to bring it Dundee.
The agreement between Eden, National Grid and SGN will kick off a period in which the partners will explore the practicalities of converting the former Dundee Gasworks on East Dock Street into the Eden Project’s home in Scotland.
The site is set back from the Dundee waterfront on the bank of the River Tay.
It has good public transport links, the potential for a new pedestrian connection to the city centre and is less than a mile away from V&A Dundee and the train station.
Eden’s agreement with National Grid and SGN follows the completion of a six-month “pollination” process to establish feasibility for the creation of a new international-scale site.
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The feasibility study was completed with the support of Eden’s partners, Dundee City Council, University of Dundee and The Northwood Charitable Trust, and was created under the unique challenge of the national lockdown and travel restrictions.
Eden Project Dundee will draw on the history of the city’s Nine Incorporated Trades and is themed around nine new “Guilds” – of Healers, Growers, Navigators, MythMakers, Noticers, Alchemists, Celebrators, Menders and “Re-Sourcerors”.
Each Guild will have its Guild Hall on the main Eden Project Dundee site with opportunities for “embassies” elsewhere in the city.
Eden predicts that the project will create 200 jobs and contribute £27 million per year to the regional economy. David Harland, Eden Project International chief executive, said: “This is a really exciting moment for the Eden Project and the City of Dundee. 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.
“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."
Prem Gabbi, director of UK land and property for National Grid, said: “We are keen to preserve the industrial heritage of our former gasworks, so it’s exciting to see the potential of it being brought back into beneficial use for the public in a sustainable way. We hope it will become a much-loved destination.”
Eden Project Dundee is one of a number of UK projects Eden Project International is developing, with plans well advanced for Morecambe and another proposed in Londonderry.
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Eden’s global portfolio of projects includes developments in China, Australia, New Zealand and Costa Rica.
The original Eden Project, located near St Austell in Cornwall, opened in March 2001 and boasts the worldfamous geodesic Biomes, one of which houses the world’s biggest undercover rainforest.
Eden has welcomed more than 22 million visitors since opening and has generated more than £2bn for the regional economy.
Councillor John Alexander, leader of Dundee City Council, said: “Completing the feasibility study and identifying the preferred site are another two important milestones on our journey to bringing Eden to Dundee. It truly is an incredible project, which will wow city residents and visitors alike. What Eden has envisaged is the transformation of an industrial site into a world-class attraction with a focus on the environment and sustainability."
Professor Iain Gillespie, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee, said: “This is very exciting news for the city. The university helped start the conversations between the city and the Eden Project, in a similar way to how we sparked the discussions to bring the V&A to Dundee, so I am delighted to see the project building on those connections and moving forward.
“The Eden Project will help us stimulate action and showcase excellence in regard to our own environmental and climate ambitions, for the city and for the university.”
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