Transport chiefs cite ‘public safety’ reasons for new Dundee FC stadium junction woes.

Dundee FC’s managing director, John Nelms, has spoken out against the ‘inexplicable procedural anomalies’ that are impeding stadium development.

Scotland’s transport chiefs say they cannot yet support Dundee FC’s plans for a new stadium at Camperdown due to public safety concerns.

The club plans to build a large development on the outskirts of the city to replace their ageing home at Dens Park. This will include a crematorium, a hotel, and a residential complex.

Last February, the local council received a planning in principle application requesting permission to move forward with the project.

However, even after 18 months, no decision has been made.

Junction proposals sticking point

One of the challenges to the application is the proposed Kingsway junction into the development.

This was originally planned to be located between the BP petrol station and the Coupar Angus Road roundabout, providing access to the stadium’s southern edge.

It was draughted by transport consultancy experts Systra, who are working on behalf of Dark Blue Property Holdings, the company founded by Dee chiefs John Nelms and Tim Keyes to build the new stadium.

However, Transport Scotland determined that the proposal did not comply with national highways standards.

Revised designs that would have moved the junction 40 metres, added new speed limit signs, extended the merging lane, and relocated a pedestrian route have also been rejected.

Dundee chiefs express frustration

The ongoing issue has enraged Nelms, who last week criticised what he described as “inexplicable procedural anomalies” impeding stadium construction. In a letter posted on the club’s website, he stated:

“We are increasingly concerned by unhelpful procedural developments that appear to obstruct rather than support an ambitious multi-use stadium and event campus.” The Courier contacted Transport Scotland for a response to Nelms’ comments.

The agency dismissed claims that its response to the Camperdown stadium application was unusual.

Instead, it stated that concerns about public safety are the reason they cannot support the application as it is.

A spokesperson stated: “As a statutory consultee in the planning process, Transport Scotland responds to over 1,000 development applications per year and is able, based on developer submissions, to recommend approval of all but a few of these.

“As we clearly stated in our response to the council, we are unable to support the planning application as it currently stands.

“For public safety reasons, the applicant has yet to demonstrate that the proposed junction meets operational requirements. “We remain open to further dialogue with the applicant.”

Dundee City Council confirmed that those behind the application have requested that it not be included on the agenda for next month’s planning committee meeting.

This means that a decision will most likely not be made until at least October.

However, Nelms has stated that a meeting with Council Chief Greg Colgan and Executive Director of City Development Robin Presswood has been scheduled in the interim.

War of words erupted in April

Last week’s letter from John Nelms came four months after he publicly blamed Transport Scotland for the delay in a council decision on the Camperdown stadium application.

In an April interview with the media, he stated that his “patience was beginning to wane” as the junction issue dragged on.

However, transport officials retaliated, claiming that Dark Blues executives were to blame for failing to resolve the road network issue, which was critical to the stadium’s approval.

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