January 12 2010

Aberdeen City and Shires Economic Future (ACSEF) have launched a public consultation over plans drawn up by architects Halliday Fraser Munro to create a new civic square for the city by raising Union Terrace Gardens to street level. 

Feelings have been running high over the proposals with some questioning if £120-140m will be enough to pave, populate and landscape an area greater than Red Square.

Further doubts have been expressed over what to do with the undercarriage of the new park and the loss of mature trees which wouldn’t be able to take root in the new structure.  

Bankrolled to the tune of £50m by oil magnate Sir Ian Wood the scheme currently has a funding gap of at least £90m which is likely to fall on the public purse although backers say this won't be found at the expense of public services. 

Proponents regard the present gardens as unfit for purpose, lacking in sunlight, poorly accessible from the street and compromised by the routing of a railway line and dual carriageway along the valley.  

Unfortunately for ACSEF Peacock Visual Arts already have planning permission for a separate scheme by Brisac Gonzalez on the same site although they are unable to progress the scheme until this consultation has run its course. 

Peacock are particularly upset that these delays imperil the future viability of their project leaving open the very real possibility that after all these consultations are over Aberdeen will end up with nothing and have set out their arguments separately.

ACSEF are inviting comments through to March 5 together with suggestions as to what to populate the enormous spaces with.

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