Major regeneration plans unveiled for Dundee’s Dighty Burn

The proposed Dighty Burn regeneration would deliver major ecological, recreational and climate resilience improvements along the watercourse, helping restore sections of the burn to a more natural state while creating a healthier, greener and more accessible environment for surrounding communities.

A public consultation on the emerging plans has now launched, allowing residents to explore the proposals online and provide feedback as the project develops.

Stretching around 20 kilometres from the Sidlaw Hills to the River Tay, the Dighty Burn has long played an important role in the city’s industrial and environmental history. However, alterations to the natural river system have damaged habitats and reduced the burn’s ability to cope with increasingly severe rainfall and flooding events.

The wider regeneration project now aims to reconnect the burn with surrounding green spaces, improve biodiversity, strengthen flood resilience and create an accessible blue-green corridor that supports both people and wildlife.

The proposals also include new walking and cycling connections, expanded green infrastructure, improved public spaces and opportunities for education, wellbeing and outdoor recreation along the burn corridor.

The initiative is being led by Dundee City Council as part of the wider Water Resilient Dundee partnership, alongside the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and Scottish Water.

Environmental consultancy LUC is working alongside infrastructure firm AECOM to support the project by delivering landscape design work, visualisations and an interactive StoryMap designed to bring the evolving vision for the Dighty Burn to life.

Rob Booth, chief executive at LUC, said: “The regeneration of the Dighty Burn represents a major opportunity to create a more resilient and sustainable environment for communities across Dundee, including the 45,000 people who live within a 20-minute walk of this stretch of the river.

“The project has the potential to transform how people connect with the river and surrounding green spaces, while also helping Dundee respond to the growing challenges of climate change, biodiversity loss and urban flooding.

“Our emerging designs and visualisations aim to help local people understand the scale of the proposed transformation and encourage them to play an active role in shaping the future of the project.”