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Esports arena planned for Dundee waterfront



An innovative multi-purpose digital arena is being planned at a site beside Slessor Gardens at Dundee’s billion pound waterfront.

A company called Northern Lights Arena Europe (NLAE) has signed an 18-month exclusivity agreement with Dundee City Council to allow it to develop an initial design concept for the site.

The company said the arena could provide educational, economic, entertainment and employment opportunities for the city.

The futuristic area would host around 4,000 seats,, an esports academy for further and higher education alongside conventional leisure, indoor sporting events, retail and living and working space.

The prominent site is near the V&A Museum and adjacent to the Tay Road Bridge and would aim to be a “significant new addition to the landscape of the city.”

NLAE is already working with Abertay University, which is Europe’s top ranked university for video games courses.

As part of the project Abertay aims to develop a new range of degree courses related to the global esports market, with the plan belong for students to gain access to bespoke facilities within the arena complex.

Abertay’s local college partner, Dundee & Angus College, would also be part of the project, ensuring opportunities for involvement are provided for young people across the region.

The aim is for technical infrastructure for the arena and academic campus to be designed with Nottingham Trent University’s Creative Technology faculty, Confetti.

Technology partners including Amazon Web Services, and low-carbon energy provider Vital Energi will also work on the scheme, aiming to “guarantee that Dundee has a state-of-the-art facility for the 21st century.”

NLAE CEO Chris Turner said: “We are delighted to be able to announce Dundee as the first of several multi-million-pound projects that the NLAE team is working on.

“We have been impressed with the forward-looking approach of Dundee City Council and their ambition to have a world class public space at the heart of Dundee.

NLAE is working with global technology partners, including Amazon Web Services, to provide unparalleled facilities and experiences.

NLAE is working with Vital Energi to develop and deliver a low carbon energy solution for all NLAE projects and other local customers in Dundee City Centre.”

Mark Flynn convener of Dundee City Council’s city development committee said: “Agreeing an exclusivity arrangement with NLAE is the best way forward to allow what is an exciting and potentially winning development the time and space needed to undertake feasibility studies and advance outline proposals.

“As a thriving and recognised cradle for games development I can think of no better place for such a complex to be.”



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