The Lochee Conservation Area has been identified as an area with important historical value which Dundee City Council wishes to preserve / enhance due to its strong links with the industrial heritage. The Conservation Area designation not only includes the historic core of Lochee but the major redevelopment associated with the Lochee Physical and Regeneration Framework.
The north and south of the Conservation Area are dominated by residential land uses. The residential properties located in the north appear to have been built in the late 19th Century and are stone built 1 and 1½ storey homes. The homes in the south are a mix of semi-detached houses and tenement blocks situated along narrow streets. The south area is the most dominant in terms of green space as many houses have proportionate sized gardens and includes a school which is surrounded by trees which is a contrast to the rest of the proposed Lochee Conservation Area.
The High Street is the main transport corridor within the area and is characterised by ground floor retail with residential accommodation above. Many of the shop fronts are traditional in design consisting of features such as; recessed doorways, elegant capitals and plinths, stall risers, string courses, dentil courses, pilasters and hand painted fascia signs and hanging signs. All of which contribute to the character and appearance of the area. One of the most important characteristics of the High Street is the variety of design and materials due to the differing age and scale of the traditional tenements, resulting in a range of window height at shop level.
The section of the Conservation Area that was the former Camperdown Works has been redeveloped for a mixture of residential and retail uses. As part of the redevelopment of the site a considerable number of the mill buildings were converted or demolished, however historic materials from the demolitions and down takings have been reused to form important features within the development.
The Conservation Area has strong associations with its industrial heritage which has been maintained through the conversion of former industrial buildings, street pattern and scale and massing of new developments. Natural sandstone and brick are the dominant building materials within the area. The area is also characterised by stone boundary walls and narrow streets creating an intimate, human scale. Examples of the historic surface materials and decorative iron lamps add to the important historic character of the area others that show evidence that historic material may be present below a surface layer of tarmac/asphalt etc. adding to the historic character of the area.
The current boundary was designated in March 2008 and has helped draw attention to the redevelopment of the area. The principal focus of planning action within Lochee is the regeneration of Lochee High Street, including the upgrading of the pre-1919 tenement stock and the ground floor shop fronts, the improvement to pedestrian and traffic movement, development of vacant or derelict sites and premises and the identification of alternative uses for the Stack Leisure Park, the former Camperdown Works.
