Three Dundee attractions including Broughty Castle threatened with closure

Dundee’s Broughty Castle, Caird Park golf courses, and the Mills Observatory could all close under proposals put forward by local authority chiefs.

Leisure and Culture Dundee (LACD) is looking to cease operating three major city services in a bid to save around £500,000 each year.

A public consultation has been launched aiming to get the public’s views on the proposals.

During this year’s budget setting, Dundee City Council dipped into reserves to secure the immediate future of the facilities.

But at the time, ruling councillors said their £620,000 investment in keeping them open would happen while consultation on various service proposals takes place.

It’s hoped the six week consultations may identify alternative operators, funding streams or uses for the facilities.

Failing this, it would result in the closure of the observatory and the golf course land becoming open space managed by the council.

The lease for Broughty Castle Museum would also be terminated and returned to the building owner Historic Environment Scotland.

The closure proposals have sparked ire from opposition councillors, who have called for the facilities to be saved.

Lib Dem group leader Fraser Macpherson said: “Unfortunately, the SNP has effectively only given a stay of execution of a year and there’s this sort of Sword of Damocles held over the observatory, golf course and castle.

“We are of the view that they are all vital facilities. Broughty Ferry Castle is quite clearly a historic monument and the observatory is one of the very few municipality observatories in the whole of the UK.

“And the golf course, well to be honest the SNP promised when they closed the Camperdown Golf Course that this was the alternative.

“We opposed the closure of Camperdown Golf Course just as we oppose any threat to the Caird Park Golf Course.

“The fundamental point here is we want to see them retained.”

A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “Proposing to close services and properties is not something that we do lightly as we understand the attachment that users and communities will have to them.

“At the same time, in the face of severe budget pressures we have a responsibility to focus our shrinking public funds on where they make the biggest difference to all of our citizens.

“Before any final decisions are taken, it is essential that we and Leisure and Culture Dundee understand what implementing these proposals would mean for users and the wider community.

“And we want to make sure we have fully explored alternative ways to use the buildings, deliver the services or secure external funding.”