Dundee issue update on new Camperdown Stadium project

The National

2 days ago

Managing director John Nelms has penned an open letter to supporters to bring them up to speed with the latest developments.
The American revealed that the cost for the project stands at £3.5m, and is likely to rise.
His update reads: "We have had many enquiries from Dundee supporters concerned by the recent media reports regarding the Camperdown Stadium Development Project.
Camperdown Stadium Development Project Update - 15th August 2025
We have had many enquiries from Dundee supporters concerned by the recent media reports regarding the Camperdown Stadium Development Project.
As a result, an update on the project has been provided by the club's… pic.twitter.com/vbW4GM8dnc — Dundee Football Club (@DundeeFC) August 15, 2025
"Our Planning Application in Principle remains ongoing and we continue to adhere to a process which I know has been frustrating for many fans excited by our vision for a new home for our club. Rest assured it is just as frustrating for all of us at the club and our team of consultants as we navigate through the process at mounting cost – currently £3.5m and counting.
"Notwithstanding the regulatory boundaries of this planning process, it is incumbent upon us to communicate openly with the main beneficiaries of this project: you, the fans.
"Firstly, we remain absolutely committed to working with Dundee City Council and statutory consultees such as Transport Scotland to resolve technical points that ought not to be insurmountable for a project that will deliver £150m of economic benefit to the city, be a transformative pillar of this club's future and provide an ambitious asset to the Scottish football estate.
"It is curious that Transport Scotland uploaded a consultation response based on out-of-date information, whilst all parties remain in ongoing technical discussion on the primary issue relating to the junction. Yet we are informed that was requested of them by our Dundee City Council officers.
"Our planning consultant provided up-to-date context in a letter uploaded to the council's planning portal on the same day as the Transport Scotland submission. As of this morning, it remains unpublished. In the interests of accuracy and transparency, it is available here – Applicant Letter to DCC Planning
"This failure to present both sides of the correspondence in public has understandably contributed to a negative media narrative, which is unhelpful and harmful to the public perception of such a high profile and complex planning application.
"It is merely the latest in a series of inexplicable procedural anomalies, which are becoming increasingly commonplace.
"Among the concerns raised is the unexplained delay of vital responses from key consultees: The Draft Traffic Management Plan was submitted to DCC on 5 March 2025. The response from DCC [Roads], dated 4 April, was not sent to the applicant until 24 July, along with another response from Police Scotland, dated 30 May. Why the delay in reporting such vital information to us? Transport Scotland's response to the Draft Traffic Management Plan, dated 7 August, was provided to the applicant on 8 August.
"It is our dear hope that our misgivings prove to be unfounded. That our assigned senior council officers are shown to have acted with the utmost professionalism and good faith. That ultimately our supporters will be able to see our vision become their reality.
"Yet we are increasingly alarmed by unhelpful procedural developments that seem to obstruct rather than try to support – in principle, remember – an ambitious multi-use stadium and event campus.
"This, despite on-the-record quotes from council spokespeople stating they exist 'to work with developers to overcome obstacles', when the opposite has been our experience. This, also, despite the fact that in 2017 the Camperdown location was recommended to us by council figures as a preferred site among many under consideration. Ironically, the site since approved for the Eden Project was also under consideration but deemed unsuitable to meet the traffic demands.
"Having had no communication from the Executive Director of City Development since the application was submitted in February 2024 – a concern in itself given the obvious long-term benefits to a city facing financial pressures across its main institutions – I am encouraged that the Chief Executive, Greg Colgan, has today agreed to a meeting on the project, at which Robin Presswood will also attend.
"We will continue to respect the planning application process in spite of the challenges we have summarised for you illustratively but certainly not exhaustively. We will do so against an apparent indifference by certain council officers to the wider benefits of this project and to our city's regeneration, via the social and economic benefits we have outlined.
"In summary, we will continue the fight – though we had never intended or foreseen it being thus – to show our ambition for the City of Dundee and our commitment to a prosperous future for Dundee Football Club, its fans and, indeed, its rivals. The outcome of this process will, of course, have future ramifications for all fans, irrespective of the colour of their scarves.
"We now urge the most senior elected figures within Dundee City Council, together with Scottish Government and Holyrood parliamentarians to pay close attention as we approach a critical juncture of this long-running process."