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pagepage66Historic Gas Times%u2022 Issue 108 %u2022 September 2021 %u2022It was recently announced that an agreement has been completed between The Eden Project and the owners of the former East Dock Street gasworks site, National Grid and SGN. The agreement will kick off a period in which the partners will explore the practicalities of converting the former Dundee Gasworks site into the Eden Project%u2019s home in Scotland.The Dundee gasworks were one of the earliest in Scotland dating back to 1823, when the Dundee Gas Light Company was formed. The original site being quite small and accessed by the surviving Peep O%u2019Day Lane. These gasworks steadily expanded over time without any competition until in 1846 a rival gasworks was built on land adjacent to the original gasworks accessed from Broughty Ferry Road, this company was name the Dundee New Gas Light Company. These two rival companies operated in competition with each otehr, with the usual problems, where consumers were connected to the wrong mains and other similar mishaps, intentional or otherwise. The two gas companies continued in existence until 1868, when the problems caused by the rivalry, led the council to purchase both companies and operate as a council Gas Department. The integration of the separate mains and plant was slow and not achieved until about 1908. With time the gasworks grew in size and started to supply a wider area including Broughty Ferry. After nationalisation in 1949 there was further integration until Dundee works itself was replaced by the Scottish Gas supergrid and Lurgi gas from Westfield in 1963. It briefly resumed gas making using gas reforming plant between 1968 and 1975, before the arrival of natural gas. Most of the structures associated with the gasworks have been demolished and the site now is mainly derelict land. The main surviving feature is the above ground spiral guided gasholder built in 1968, which you can see incorporated into the proposed site redevelopment in the picture. The existing tall brick walls on the site suggested to the Eden team the potential to create walled gardens, making for a striking contrast to the industrial heritage of the Gasworks. Eden envisages this as a powerful symbol of regeneration, echoing the project%u2019s home in Cornwall which is located in a former clay quarry.DUNDEE GASWORKS TO BECOME A NEW EDEN PROJECT