Dundee tourist attractions to learn fate next week

Councillors will decide the fate of three Dundee tourist attractions next week as part of plans to save Leisure and Culture Dundee more than £400,000 a year.

Councillors will vote whether to axe Broughty Castle Museum and Caird Park Golf Course, following a public consultation earlier this year.

Mills Observatory, which was also under threat, would remain open under the proposal, after securing additional funding.

A report to councillors noted that every round played at Caird Park Golf Course is currently subsidised by Dundee taxpayers at a cost of £9.10.

Closing Caird Park Golf Course could contribute £335,000 a year to Leisure and Culture Dundee’s (LACD) budget shortfall.

The consultation ran for six weeks earlier this year.

If approved, Broughty Castle Museum would close next October and Caird Park Golf Course would close by the end of April.

The report said that visitor numbers at Broughty Castle Museum in 2023/ 24 were 39,223, down from 43,149 in 2019/20.

Ending services there would save LACD £80,000 a year, while returning the building to owner Historic Environment Scotland would save the council £30,000 per year in property costs.

LACD said £95,000 would come from a mixture of private money and trusts for the observatory over the next three to five years.

Councillors will also be asked on Monday to agree up to £15,000 a year in funding, to be reviewed in three years, as part of the package to keep services running at the observatory.

Mark Flynn, Dundee City Council’s city governance committee convener, said almost 2,500 people took part in the consultation.

He said: “The decision to stop delivering any services in the city is not something that is done lightly, and all reasonable suggestions have been explored, but these recommendations show just how challenging the financial position is as work goes into balancing the books for the next financial year.

“As part of the consultation process, external funding has been identified for the observatory, and I would encourage people across the city to make good use of it during these darker winter nights.”