Holmes Miller ArchitectsVolunteers at a community garden in Dundee are calling on the city council to protect the natural habitat by rejecting plans for Dundee Football Club’s new stadium.
The proposals would see a £100m multi-use arena built beside Camperdown Park.
Some locals are concerned about wildlife, though the company behind the proposals says the ecological impact will be “negligible”.
Leslie Martin is part of the group Campy Growers, which neighbours the site.
They’ve objected to the plans, with planning approval still needed from the city council.
She told STV News: “One of our three purposes is to protect the biodiversity that’s here. We have to balance it.
“It’s awash with biodiversity. That is the tragedy of what will be lost. Developers don’t see things like that.
“Hundreds of little holes where mammals, like voles and shrews live, birds and insects.
“Families use this as a recreation field. They are the ones who are most horrified. They bring their children and grandchildren to play and run their dogs around.
“I haven’t met very many people who think it will be wonderful to have steel and concrete there.”
STV NewsThe new Dundee Football Club stadium is just the start of this proposed multi-purpose campus on the edge of Camperdown Park, with plans for a hotel, houses and world-class hospitality.
The club has earmarked this site which, on the face of it, is an empty field.
But there are concerns from some about what any development might do to habitats there.
Wildlife guide and volunteer Ian Michael Ford warns local wildlife will be “negatively affected” by the development.
He said: “If this development goes ahead, this whole area will be spoiled. There will be lots of noise pollution from events, houses, and traffic.
“From a biodiversity point of view, I’m concerned that the local wildlife will be negatively affected, with a huge increase in dogs and cats running loose.
“My aim is to respect the heritage of the site, the ecosystem created by ancient trees, which the councillors have protected themselves.”
The club hopes to break ground at the site in 2025.
STV NewsDark Blue Property Holdings Ltd, the company behind the proposals, says 85% of objections originally raised have been addressed after the relocation of proposed training facilities.
Its statement read: “The Application has been amended to remove the training facilities from Camperdown Country Park. There is therefore no need to remove trees to create the previously proposed vehicular access link between the park and the main site. Thereby retaining and protecting further trees.
“The proposed SUDS within Camperdown Park will introduce significant and positive biodiversity gains.
“The submitted Tree Impact Assessment concluded that the development would have a low impact. All trees to be retained will be subject to a Tree Protection Plan.
“The indicative Masterplan/landscaping plan shows compensatory planting within the site and a new woodland to the northwest of the former site of the training facilities within Camperdown Park.
“The Ecology Assessment (submitted as part of the Environmental Statement Report) proposes (in addition to the SUDs), a wildlife tower, nesting provision for hedgehogs, log piles, bird and bat boxes, future landscaping (including native trees) and a species rich wildlife meadow. As a result, the assessment concludes there with be negligible impacts for all important ecological features.
“A Biodiversity Net Gain Report was submitted to DCC in October 2024 and confirms that with the implementation of the landscape/ecological enhancement measures proposed a gain in habitat can be achieved.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “It would be inappropriate to comment on an ongoing planning application.”
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