CITY chiefs are targeting a summer opening for the central space at Dundee’s new £1 billion Waterfront development.
Slessor Gardens, which runs from the back of the Caird Hall down to the V&A museum site, was completed during the winter, with turf laid and the roads around it opened.
The area has been fenced off since then to allow the grass to bed in and work to be done on surrounding flower beds.
However, city development convener Will Dawson today revealed that Waterfront bosses want to have the space open for June, in time for the summer season.
The threat of wet weather has been a key factor in keeping the area clear of pedestrians so far — particularly as a high footfall is expected when it does open. Mr Dawson, pictured below, told the Tele: “There is still a chance there will be a bit of heavy rainfall in the next month or two, so we are waiting until the summer months to open it up to the public.
“The gardens will be opened up some time in June.
“We don’t want to open it up too early and see the area churned up because of the rain and the amount of people that will potentially be walking through the gardens.
“The grass is turf that has been laid out, and the longer that is left, the longer it will have to knit in with the soil.
“There’s also some work on the gardens currently being carried out and that’s another factor why the fencing is still up.
“The weather during these months is still changeable and we don’t want a situation where people are walking across wet grass and unintentionally not letting the grass properly take root.”
The gardens, named after the missionary Mary Slessor, cover an 11,000 square-metre area and have been designed to host a series of major events including concerts, exhibitions and markets.
The Tele revealed earlier this year how Waterfront chiefs had already been in discussions with big-name bands over the prospect of playing at the site.
Earlier this month, Discovery Walk was unveiled on a pavement next to the gardens. It has a series of plaques built into the ground to honour a host of famous faces from Dundee’s past.