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Historical Background

The Albert Street area of Dundee was primarilydeveloped during the period 1850 - 1900. TheDundee Burgh (Dens Road Area) Statutory Listproduced by Historic Scotland gives a selectionof Albert Street area buildings and the date oftheir construction.

Address Date Built Category

41-57 Albert Street and 1850 B2 Raglan Street

56-58 Arbroath Road 1865-70 Band 1 Kemback Street

1-31 Lyon Street and 1866-67 B30 Albert Street

Plan showing position of Listed Buildings

Historically it formed the principal northeast routeout of Dundee to Forfar and beyond. The areabordered by Baxter Park in the east, MorganAcademy to the north, Arbroath Road to thesouth and Dens Road to west, was built up asa mixed use area, that is to say that uses suchas residential, commercial and industrial werebuilt during this period next to one another. Itsdevelopment was privately led by localentrepreneurs who were involved in thedevelopment of the jute industry. The Baxterfamily, then (the mid 19th century) the biggestemployers in Dundee, were the only textile

company to build housing for employees in theAlbert Street area. The property situated inLyon Street, in 1871 housed 648 people in 30x 2 room, 73 x 3 room and 1 x 4 room flats.This average of over six persons per flat givesan indication of how densely developed theAlbert Street area had become. Thedevelopment of Albert Street as a shoppingparade from Arbroath Road to Dura Street wascompleted by the early 1880s.

The Impact of the Motor Vehicle onAlbert Street

The development of the motor vehicle from theearly 20th century led to local authoritiesthroughout Great Britain developing a roadstrategy which could accommodate the growthof traffic. James Thompson became an architectin 1904 and city engineer in 1906. Hisdevelopment plan of that period devised thenorthern bypass which became the Kingsway.By the early 1950s a land use plan preparedby planning consultants W Dobson Chapmanand Partners recommended that a central arearing road be constructed. This project was onlycompleted in 1992. It was also envisaged thatbetween the ring road and the Kingsway,arterial routes would run to the northwest(Lochee Road) and to the northeast (AlbertStreet) linking these road networks.

The arterials were proposed against thebackground of an expanding local economy,associated with a sharp rise in car ownership.What originally was selective road wideningbecame large scale road proposals. With thereorganisation of local government in Scotlandin 1975 the pace of implementing the arterialroutes gathered momentum. Looking at theAlbert Street area large swathes of propertieswere acquired in the vicinity of North ErskineStreet, Arthurstone Terrace, Dura Street and

ISSUE NUMBER1 : FEBRUARY 2002

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· A socio economic profile of the studyarea.

· Consultation with parties andorganisations having an interest in thearea.

· Questionnaire surveys of study arearesidents and those shopping in or visitingthe centre.

· Proposals and recommendations.

The study was carried out in-house by thePlanning and Transportation Department.

The proposals included the following:

1 Urban Design Approach

Consideration was given to the scope to createan improved residential environment within theStudy Area. The feasibility of removing lessattractive and under occupied tenement blockswill be examined. These could be replaced bylower density housing offering better amenities.This offers the opportunity to improve the localhousing stock while simultaneously enhancingthe environment and reducing the level of vacanttenement stock. This could also assist inoffsetting pressure for on-street parking.

2 Improvement of Existing TenementAccommodation

Encouragement wil l be given to theimprovement/conversion of existing tenementproperties to create amenities not presentlyoffered by such accommodation, eg (balconies,better space standards, better sound insulation).

3 Opportunity Sites

A number of major opportunity sites exist withinthe study area - mainly former industrialproperties which are now either vacant or largelyunused. The key examples are as follows:

Mains Loan to facilitate the construction of whatbecame known as the northeast arterial route.Due to restrictions placed on local governmentfunding the construction of the roads projectswas delayed. Some properties were acquired,but properties within the landtake of the roadwhich were not acquired became difficult tosell or to mortgage. This planning blight had aruinous effect on not only the road landtakebut also on adjoining properties.

The Changing Scene

By the early 1990s with the United Nationsholding a conference on environment anddevelopment, known as the Earth Summit,Agenda 21 was developed as a programme foraction to be taken from now into the 21stCentury. Agenda 21 recognised the inter-dependence of environmental, social, health andeconomic issues. It was against thisbackground of sustainability that the future ofthe Albert Street area was re-examined. InFebruary 1997 Dundee City council took thedecision to abandon the northeast arterial route.

The Way Forward

Major concern had arisen in recent yearsregarding the decline in the Albert Streetshopping area. This stemmed from adeterioration in the quality and appearance ofmany shops in the area and from a significantlevel of shop vacancies, particularly in thesouthern section. In November 1998 thePlanning and Transportation Committeeauthorised the commencement of the AlbertStreet Study, to address these problems in lightof the northeast arterial now no longer beingpart of the long term plan for the area. Thestudy involved the following main elements:

· A physical appraisal of the study area.

· An analysis of retail and related floorspacechange within the centre over the periodsince 1985.

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· Manhattan Works, Dundonald Street -Planning Application No D22474

This proposal on a gross site area of 3 hectaresprovides 11,137 m² of office floorspace and carparking facilities for 64 cars.

· Taybank Works (Tay Spinners Ltd),Arbroath Road

· Taybank Works (Old Powerloom Factory),Arbroath Road - Planning Application NoD24938

This proposal is to convert the former high millinto 18 flats and to provide 43 houses withinthe remaining part of the site.

Location Plan

It is not appropriate to be over-prescriptive asto the future use of such sites. There may bea certain windfall element to the opportunitieswhich may present themselves and while aresumption of industrial use may be acceptable,low/medium density housing would be a suitablealternative, as in Taybank Works.

4 Property in City Council Ownership

Throughout the Study Area there exist a numberof vacant properties in City Council ownershipwhich were acquired in connection withsubsequently abandoned road buildingproposals. Concerns have been expressedregarding the maintenance and appearance ofcertain of these properties pending the resolution

of their longer term future. The condition ofsuch properties has also raised concernsregarding children�s safety. In the light of thissituation it is proposed that:

a Buildings not to be Retained

In such instances, where there is no imminentprospect of redevelopment, consideration shouldbe given to its possible demolition and to makingthe cleared site available for suitable temporaryuse, eg car parking.

b Buildings to be Retained

Every effort should be made to maintain suchproperty in reasonably attractive condition.While the need for security is fully recognised,alternatives to the boarding up of such propertyshould be explored.

Two site planning briefs for new housingdevelopment have been prepared by thePlanning and Transportation Department.

These are located at Victoria Street/AlbertStreet and Mollison Street/Eliza Street (seeoverleaf).

5 Facade Enhancement Grant Scheme

In April 2000 the Planning and TransportationDepartment, after receiving committee approval,instigated a scheme which gives grantassistance to shopkeepers to improve theirshopfronts. This is seen as a positive step toimprove the appearance of this inner city areaof Dundee. Certain sections of the street havebeen targeted and to date four shops have beenimproved.

6 The current situation

The next stage currently being examined byconsultants appointed by Dundee City Councilis what is termed Inner �Baxter� Suburb(Stobswell). The vision for Stobswell is to buildon the established character and attributes of

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Molison Street/Eliza Street Brief

Victoria Street/Albert Street Brief

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All maps reproduced from Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationery Office. Crown copyright.Unauthorised reproduction infringes crown copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. Licence no. LA09026L

this traditional Victorian neighbourhood. It ishoped to create a vibrant sustainable inner cityneighbourhood suited to the 21st Century. Theintention is to alter the housing profile throughthe creation of larger homes, by the intergrationof smaller flats to form larger dwellings. Otherhousing initiatives will also be examined.

Some of the objectives of the study will look atdemand for housing in the neighbourhood. Alsoto produce a regeneration framework, that willidentify land use and mix within the retail/residential/industry and recreational sectors. Itis anticipated that the first phase of the studywill be concluded in June 2002.

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