Dundee has designs on V&A museum

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Plans for Dundee to become an outpost of the world-famous Victoria and Albert museum are to be discussed.

Supporters said the project could showcase the city's design heritage including computer gaming and comics.

A feasibility study, to be presented at conference in the city, suggested the museum could open by 2013, attracting more than 400,000 visitors.

The idea is a joint project between the Victoria and Albert Museum, Dundee University and Dundee City Council.

The conference, in the University of Dundee's Dalhousie Building, will feature contributions from Mark Jones, director of the V&A.

There will also be a presentation of the main findings of the feasibility study.

It is suggested that the Dundee version of the V&A could be housed in a new £42m building, as part of the city's waterfront development.

It could create 900 jobs in the wider economy.

Dundee should celebrate being the birthplace of Grand Theft Auto as well as The Beano The V&A in DundeeStage Two Business Plan The V&A in London is regarded as the world's premier museum for art and design.

The business plan suggested the Dundee museum could feature local strengths in illustration, comics, animation, interactive media and computer gaming.

It said: "Dundee should celebrate being the birthplace of Grand Theft Auto as well as The Beano.

"If curated carefully, to avoid nostalgia or parochialism, these two themes could provide a useful bridge to popular culture."

It predicts the V&A in Dundee would employ about 60 staff directly and annual operating costs would be in the region of £2.7m.

The museum would bring in £1m per year in revenue, and would therefore require an annual subsidy of £1.7m, it was suggested.