Work has started on a £4.5 million development which will see Scotland’s latest drive-through Starbucks coffee shop open its doors before Christmas.
The project is a milestone for Dundee-based construction specialists Kilmac, who have also lured family restaurant and pub chain Marston’s to an adjacent site off the Kingsway West, generating about 60 jobs.
A 30-strong construction team, including young apprentices, is pressing ahead with the 12-week project, with an October 31 handover date agreed to complete internal fixtures and fittings.
Councillor Roisin Smith, who cut the first sod at the Fulton Road gateway to the Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate, said: “This is a timely reminder that investment in Dundee is not just focused on the Waterfront.
“It is fantastic to see more high-profile businesses being attracted to the city and this development will create much-needed jobs in the Lochee ward.”
Blair Morrison, Kilmac development director, said the area was undergoing a major transformation, with an Aldi soon be built near the Asda Myrekirk store.
He said: “We have opened up a long-neglected 1.5 acre site thanks to council support and both Starbucks UK and Marston’s were keen to have a presence in this part of the city.
“It is always exciting when work gets under way on-site after many months in the planning but given that it is our own project this is also a landmark for Kilmac.”
Marston’s are awaiting the green light for a “slight amendment” to their planning consent and have submitted a licence application to the August 17 meeting of the local authority’s Licensing Board.
