Public support is growing for local campaigners hoping to preserve Dudhope Castle after council bosses agreed to sell the historic building on Monday.
A Friends of Dudhope Castle group has been formed, while there are plans to create another focus group.
An ongoing petition has also attracted more than 600 signatures in less than a week, with the campaign grabbing the attention of many across the city.
Dundee City Council’s decision to sell Dudhope Castle, which was passed at a meeting on Monday with a vote of 15 to 11, is part of ongoing attempts to balance the books.
The group aiming to save the castle for the people of the city are not giving up and an emergency meeting of the Hilltown Community Forum was held on Tuesday night to address the sale of the castle.
Campaigner Frances Smith, who organised the petition, said: “Most people voiced their annoyance that a proper consultation wasn’t done.
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
“The fact there’s been no conservation assessment means that we actually don’t know what historic conservation needs to be done or is present.”
Frances plans to continue with the petition and said she hoped as many people as possible would join the Friends of Dudhope Castle Facebook page.
Perhaps inevitable – but public’s comments still matter
Local historian Adam Swan, who is also keen to see the castle kept as a city asset, added: “The decision to proceed with the sale of Dudhope Castle was perhaps inevitable, given budget constraints, though still disappointing.
© Gareth Jennings/DCT Media
“Although the council chose not to consult the public about the proposed sale, local newspaper articles have resulted in public awareness and encouraged amendments to the local authority report.
“The concessions in the amendment and the council’s reported vow to seek the best possible buyer for the castle are an achievement.
“‘Best’ is subjective, and amenity groups will be keeping a keen watch on the proceedings.
“It is hoped that the council consult further and take on board the public’s comments and the community’s concerns in their marketing.
“The campaign has raised awareness and should also give developers the steer that the castle is highly regarded as belonging to the people.
“Appropriate schemes with imaginative uses that involve the public might thus find favour, whereas any that propose significant alterations or to overdevelop its surroundings are more likely to be resisted.”
