Aberdeen Squares Up To The Future

The deep bowl of the historic Union Terrace Gardens fuses two of Aberdeen’s main thoroughfares, Union Street and Rosemount Viaduct, acting as a compact getaway from the hectic shopping arenas. Built upon original medieval roads, these extraordinary feats of nineteenth century engineering are said to have precipitated the then administration’s bankruptcy. Dozens of mature trees (many near two centuries old) line and seclude the park, turning the mic off on the bustling traffic that surrounds. Unfortunately, given the limited access and a small cast of unsavoury characters, plus the unforgiving north east climate, the luscious gardens don’t always fulfill their potential.

Two parties have now clashed on how to develop this prime space. Peacock Visual Arts' designs to create a world class arts centre in the gardens, pitched to do for Aberdeen what the DCA has done for Dundee, had already been granted planning permission in August 2008. The cutting-edge design, thoroughly sympathetic and engaging with the surroundings, would cost a (relatively) modest £13 million (75% publicly secured already) and looked set to open up the gardens with inclusive cultural programs, not to mention improved security and access to the flora. 

Then, in November 2008 Sir Ian Wood – the Aberdonian oil services billionaire – threw an extremely generous offer to his native abode. Flanked by First Minister Alex Salmond, Wood announced his desire to bring back a "civic heart”, and related visions of the Granite City becoming a “mini-Houston”, perhaps even “the energy capital of the eastern hemisphere”. Thus the City Square Project was born. The plan involves raising the gardens to street level, via a 5-storey asphalt insertion, to facilitate the building of a six km sq super-plaza, effectively drowning the green lung in a sea of concrete, all for the very reasonable price of £140 million. 

Sir Ian has pledged £50 million from his personal resources for the monumental reshaping of the centre. The rest of the cost would have to be met publicly from the city's capital funding. Citing the gardens as the only logical location for this plan, the oil magnate teamed up with public-private enterprise body Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF) to produce a feasibility report and subsequently a public consultation on the merits of the plan.

Understandably, there are public reservations about such a large financial commitment. There is also confusion as to why the City Square Project is so intent on utilising only the Union Terrace location, especially given the relative vagueness over what it could actually contain. Over £1 million has already been spent on the planning of the Peacock scheme through public funds. Even more confusingly, Scottish Enterprise have contributed funds to both Peacock and the City Square ideas, essentially backing two horses with the public purse. Unfortunately for supporters of the Peacock-led proposal, the original arts centre design cannot feature in this consultation due to the baffling loophole that planning consent had already been granted. However, the City Square Project does allocate space for a contemporary arts centre in their total transformation, which, they claim, will increase footfall while boasting the “cafe culture of Europe” and even “safeguarding future generations’ prosperity”.

We are now embroiled in a rather boisterous difference of opinion between supporters of both schemes, as an eight week survey led by ACSEF seeks the public’s views on potential content for the City Square Project. Right now the people are having their say. ACSEF is adamant that only the “transformational” agenda can be aimed for, while Peacock Visual Arts sit in the unfortunate position of potentially going out of business after thirty-five years' service, due to the schedule of the funding obtained for their own proposal. Of course Peacock could be part of the bigger plan, but compromise between the parties has been strained publicly, and given the huge costs, timescale and uncertainty involved in the City Square Project, the future remains uncertain for both Aberdeen's art scene and its rare green space.