The start of preparatory work at the site of the £17 million Regional Performance Centre for Sport in Dundee was marked yesterday by city council administration leader Councillor Ken Guild.

The commencement follows councillors’ approval of £850,000 of works by Tayside Contracts at and around Caird Park, the site of the new centre.

The site which already caters for football, athletics and cycling will see these facilities improved drastically along with incorporating other sports such as rugby, basketball, badminton and cricket.

Dundee narrowly lost out on the National Performance Centre in 2013 and councillor Guild thought that bid had went some way into helping in the creation of this facility.

He said: “This is an important step forward in our efforts to provide a top-class facility for the city of Dundee.

“Making sure that these works are done in advance of the creation of the centre will ensure that it is easily accessible for contractors and users when it is completed.

“The eastern end of Caird Park is an ideal location for the regional performance centre where it will integrate with the existing athletics stadium and velodrome.

“We have been working hard with our partners to provide a top-class facility that can be open for both performance and community use and will be an exciting addition to the city’s superb range of sporting facilities.

“I am keen that as many people as possible benefit from this exciting development.”

sportscotland chief executive, Stewart Harris, said: “It is terrific news that significant progress is being made in this exciting project with the preparatory work underway. We have been working closely with Dundee City Council to help them with this ambitious multi-sport hub at Caird Park, and this collaboration will significantly enhance the existing sports facilities in Dundee.”

Mr Harris added: “At sportscotland we are committed to building a world-class sporting system for everyone in Scotland, providing more and better opportunities to make sport a way of life, and this new regional facility will be a fantastic addition for the people of Tayside and beyond, which will benefit both performance athletes and community users.”

Expected to be completed for early 2018, the centre will be managed by Leisure and Culture Dundee.