A landmark retail and office building on Castle Street in Dundee city centre—best known as the former home of Kenny’s Music—will go to auction this week with a guide price of £115,000. Auctioneers Prime Property have positioned the vacant premises as a candidate for conversion to housing, subject to planning consent, amid wider efforts to bring life back to empty high street units.
Prominent unit seeks new use after store closure
Kenny’s Music closed its Castle Street shop at the end of February as the business pivoted towards online sales, ending a presence that dates back to June 2008. The multi-level property—comprising four upper floors and a basement—is currently unoccupied and sits among a cluster of empty city-centre premises awaiting new tenants or redevelopment.
Marketing materials highlight the scale and adaptability of the building for investors and developers looking at mixed-use or residential options. Prime Property describes the listing as benefiting from central Dundee’s footfall and has set the guide price at a discount to encourage a sale. The auction is scheduled for Thursday 16 July.
“An exciting opportunity to be converted into residential units,”
is how the property is being pitched, with additional emphasis on its “expansive” floors and a “spacious” basement that could accommodate different layouts. Any move to change use would require approval from planning authorities.
At-a-glance: the auction listing
| Location | Castle Street, Dundee city centre |
|---|---|
| Guide price | £115,000 |
| Configuration | Ground retail, four upper floors, plus basement |
| Status | Vacant, former Kenny’s Music store and offices |
| Auction date | Thursday 16 July |
| Potential | Residential conversion (subject to planning) |
City centre context and rates relief debate
The Castle Street listing comes as several long-standing units in Dundee’s core remain empty, sharpening focus on how to reduce vacancy and attract investment. The Courier has been campaigning—alongside The Press and Journal and The Sunday Post—for changes to business rates relief for vacant properties, arguing that easing costs more quickly could help businesses take on shuttered premises like this one.
Under the Scottish Government’s current Fresh Start policy, rates relief is offered for a year to occupiers who move into a unit that has been empty for six months. The campaign seeks relief to commence as soon as a property becomes vacant, with the aim of lowering barriers to reoccupation. Ministers have announced a wider review of business rates, including a possible rule change that could extend relief to those taking on empty units, though they have yet to make a firm commitment.
What this could mean for Dundee
The future of the Castle Street building will be closely watched as an indicator of investor appetite in the city centre. A successful sale could trigger one of several outcomes:
- Refurbishment for retail or offices: Retaining commercial use to capitalise on footfall on and around Castle Street.
- Residential conversion: Adding city-centre homes, subject to planning approval and building standards, which could increase footfall for nearby businesses.
- Hybrid models: Potentially blending ground-floor commercial space with flats above, pending consents.
Whichever route is taken, the property’s scale and central position give it the potential to play a role in ongoing efforts to revitalise Dundee’s core streets. The guide price suggests an impetus to secure a buyer quickly, while the planning caveat underscores that timelines will depend on regulatory approval and the scope of any redevelopment.
Next steps for interested parties
Prospective bidders are advised to review the legal pack, confirm current planning status and any change-of-use requirements, and consider costs associated with refurbishment or conversion. Due diligence on structural condition, services and potential layout constraints across the four floors and basement will be key to assessing viability.
With the auction set for 16 July, the Castle Street sale will test demand for city-centre property at a time when policy discussions on rates relief and high street recovery remain live. The outcome could provide a useful signal on the direction of investment in Dundee’s retail core in the months ahead.
