JIM SPENCE: Can Wellgate in Dundee be saved from slow lingering death?

The condition of the Overgate and Wellgate shopping centres reminds me of Dundee’s two senior football teams.” Can Dundee’s Wellgate be spared from a long and lingering death?

Is there a future for a once-iconic shopping centre that debuted in 1978 but has since fallen far from its former glory?

Back then, it was a big magnet for Dundonians and Tayside consumers, with prominent merchants, an indoor market, a waterfall feature, and a chiming clock that drew crowds every hour.

Can the Wellgate be revived in an age of online shopping and a strong competitor at the opposite end of the city that is brighter, bolder, and busier?

Is it time to put it out of its misery in favour of a new vision for that section of Dundee?

‘Dundee and Angus College proposal worth serious consideration’

I went in the city last week looking for Christmas gifts at The Entertainer toy store. It has everything a child could desire in terms of toys, yet it will close in January, and it’s easy to see why.

Andrew Murphy, the group’s CEO, told The Courier that Wellgate had become “stale and quiet,” with nearly half of the flats now vacant. The question today is whether the centre can be saved as a significant city site by attracting new and improved retail offerings and providing a better shopping experience.

Some suggest that it should cut its losses and recognise that there isn’t enough business to operate two large shopping centres so close together.

Dundee and Angus College intends to relocate to the Wellgate, away from its Kingsway Campus, as part of an extraordinary change announced last year.

The college’s principal, Simon Hewitt, has correctly stated that the relevance of further education (FE) colleges to the economy has long been overlooked. He describes putting his institution into the city centre as a new concept developed out of frustration.

There is a continuing debate about how FE colleges and the public sector should come up with new solutions and do things differently. The proposal to move the college to an outstanding location in the heart of the city deserves careful attention.

If, as I’ve been told, there is a model for delivering such a concept that is already operating in Wales, and a £300 million investment has been obtained, it’s worth making a choice fast before possible investors lose interest.

‘Easier to fix football team than shopping centre’

The condition of the Overgate and Wellgate shopping centres reminds me of Dundee’s two senior football teams.

While United is experiencing success and record attendance, Dundee is floundering, with many disgruntled fans who have previously supported the team going away.

The Overgate is growing in popularity as a shopping destination, with an increasing number of consumers, a diverse range of retail products, and a variety of dining options.

The Wellgate, meantime, is struggling as previously devoted clients depart a venue that appears increasingly dismal and uninviting, and many traders have fled to more appealing and successful sites. However, fixing a football team is easier than fixing a shopping complex.

With some strong player recruiting and a few good outcomes, unhappy fans will return to cheer on the upgraded team. Rebuilding a shopping complex as a must-see destination for spending money is a much more difficult task.

Unlike the city clubs, the two shopping malls draw from the same pool of clients, and all footfall flows in one direction: the Overgate.

I’ve previously stated that the concept of a further education college situated in the heart of Dundee is an ambitious proposal with numerous potential benefits.

Given the increasingly unappealing state of the Wellgate as a major shopping area, individuals with a stake in the city’s well-being should get around a table to quickly decide on the best solution.

If there is a way to revitalise and re-energise the site in the context of retail, please share it. But, if the future means limping to an unavoidable halt, let us consider the extreme vision provided to us.

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