22-05-2025
New Dundee Transport Museum plans get £1m boost
Plans for a new Dundee Museum of Transport have been given a boost as the project secures a further £1,000,000.
The museum, which is currently located at Market Mews on Market Street, is hoping to relocate to the former Maryfield Tram Depot.
Museum bosses believe this will boost visitor numbers to more than 50,000 every year, bringing with it up to 30 new jobs and an economic boost of around £2.5m to Dundee.
Maryfield Tram Depot was built in 1901, and extended in 1913 and 1920 to form the current iteration.
A planning application lodged with Dundee City Council last year detailed how developers hope to utilise the depot's history as part of the rebuild
The total cost of the relocation project is estimated to be £5.5m.
The Scottish Government have now confirmed the development will receive a total of £1,001,430 from the Regeneration Capital Grant Fund.
It follows on from the £1.2m in Levelling Up funding promised by the UK Government.
This had been in doubt following Chancellor Rachel Reeves' budget last October, where she made no direct mention of the levelling up money.
However, the funding was officially confirmed earlier this year.
In total, the project has secured more than £3 million in funding over the past 12 months – including £250,000 from the Northwood Charitable Trust.
In addition to the funding, the museum has also received support from the National Fund for Acquisitions to secure its first artefact for the new premises.
This will be a vintage 1953 AEC Regent III double-decker bus in original Dundee Corporation livery. The iconic Number 137 bus served the city between 1954 and 1974.
The artefact will take centre stage in the new museum in a nostalgic street scene depicting life in Dundee in the 1950s.
Paul Jennings, executive director of Dundee Museum of Transport, said: 'Our consistent efforts over the last few years are now being rewarded with funding success, putting us in a position to appoint a main contractor later this year.
'While we still have additional funds to raise, once building work begins, they will continue through to completion of the new museum, which we anticipate will be by the end of 2026.'
