Aberdeen Developments

[Pious Fraud]

Aberdeen's City Garden Project snubbed after debate

BBC News 22nd August 2012

Aberdeen's controversial City Garden Project has been narrowly rejected after a council debate.

The vital vote focused on the proposed £140m plan - backed by £50m from businessman Sir Ian Wood - to transform the historic Union Terrace Gardens.

In a referendum earlier this year, there were 45,301 votes in favour with 41,175 votes against.

New proposals from the Independent Alliance Group were backed by 22, with 20 against and one abstention.

Callum McCaig, leader of SNP group, had called for the City Garden Project to be supported.

He said he was "bitterly disappointed" at the decision.

Conservative Alan Donnelly said the amendment was an "almighty fudge".

However, Mike Shepherd, chairman of Friends of Union Terrace Gardens, said: "There is no doubt that our councillors made the correct decision.

"This is the end of the City Garden Project debacle.

"Union Terrace Gardens is at the heart of our city. Let's nurture them with the care and attention they deserve. We can restore them to a place of pride and glory. Let's go ahead and do it."

Various delegations had addressed the full meeting of Aberdeen City Council during the day.

One of the first to speak among earlier delegations was Leo Koot, managing director of oil firm TAQA Bratani, who said Union Terrace Gardens was a "dark hole".

However, that claim was contested by Iain Richardson, from Common Good Aberdeen.

Prominent Aberdeen hotelier Stewart Spence said the city needed to attract tourists, and required more than a spruce up.

Dan McCroskrie, speaking on behalf of the young people who support the scheme, said it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity which would help attract more young people into the city.

The cost of the winning Granite Web design was £140m.

The council administration's senior coalition partner, Labour, had vowed to scrap the scheme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...tland-19348330

[ForzaD]

What are Labour's plans for improvement in the city then? Have they got any?

[Glom]

The city is to be frozen in carbonite.

[R.K.Teck]

FFS Aberdeen.

Are they anti-progress up there?

• They fought tooth and nail against the golf course.
• They've fought the AWPR ('Aberdeen bypass') for years.
• They've now won the fight against the garden redevelopment.

Sad, really because it would have been a great addition to the centre of Aberdeen.

EDIT: Just seen the results of the referendum. It seems the majority of voters were in favour. It begs the question - What was the point in the referendum? Since, the voters wanted it yet those in power have scrapped it and won't make it happen? Pretty shit leadership if they back down on this, instead of doing what the public wanted.

[albatross]

... and the 3rd Don crossing. I think the new set of cooncillors were against that as well.

Never mind - we have the lovely new (ye-olde-ish Aberdeen) flats at Mounthooly instead. So lovely that the developers can't even bring themselves to put an outside rendering or photo on their web site / on-line brochure.

[Quirinalian]

Originally Posted by ForzaD

What are Labour's plans for improvement in the city then? Have they got any?

Can't speak for Labour, but wasn't there a rather grand plan of demolishing St Nicholas House and creating a quality public space there.

Originally Posted by R.K.Teck

FFS Aberdeen.

Are they anti-progress up there?

• They fought tooth and nail against the golf course.
• They've fought the AWPR ('Aberdeen bypass') for years.
• They've now won the fight against the garden redevelopment.

Well, to be fair, the golf course wasn't in Aberdeen nor was it a matter for the city council. Although maybe you're just referring to a sort of North-Eastern mentality.

EDIT: Just seen the results of the referendum. It seems the majority of voters were in favour. It begs the question - What was the point in the referendum? Since, the voters wanted it yet those in power have scrapped it and won't make it happen? Pretty shit leadership if they back down on this, instead of doing what the public wanted.

Well, the referendum would've presumably given councillors something to think about, but ultimately it's their decision. If they think they're best placed to make a different judgement - having gone through a great deal of detail (hopefully!) - then it's fine for them to reach a different decision.

If I had my way, I'd probably have gone for something in the middle of the two proposals. Raise the level of UTG, cover over the road and railway line but retain it as effectively a sunken garden. Connecting it with the back of Belmont Street would've meant far easier access as well as more amenities nearby.

[Glom]

Also, the City isn't opposing the AWPR, but rather one lone nutjob who has been given far too much opportunity to be a complete c... ontempible person by a legal system designed to protect people that is open to being abused.

[Pious Fraud]

New Aberdeen FC park 'killed off', says Stewart Milne

BBC News 23rd August 2012

Aberdeen Football Club chairman Stewart Milne has said its planned move to a new stadium has effectively been "killed off" by the city council.

The Dons were hoping a new community sports centre at Cove would double as a training facility for the club, which wanted to open a new ground nearby.

Aberdeen City Council threw out plans for the centre on Wednesday evening.

Councillors voted to to take control of the land to look into other development opportunities in the area.

Local authority leader Barney Crockett said he was confident a deal could still be reached with the club.

Aberdeen FC was hoping to site a new 21,000-seater stadium close to the proposed Calder Park community sports centre.

The club had planned to move from Pittodrie to a new ground at Loirston Loch, on the southern outskirts of the city, for the start of the 2014-15 season.

Mr Milne, who said the use of Calder Park to train was vital to the proposals, said in a statement: "Disappointment and frustration do not come close to how my colleagues and I are feeling right now.

"As was made crystal clear, the Calder Park development has been designed as part of the master planning exercise to be completely integral with the new AFC stadium at Loirston, and this decision has effectively also killed off that development."

Mr Milne said the "illogical" decision could have "major implications" for the football club.

Responding to the comments, Mr Crockett told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme: "Megaphone diplomacy is not helpful.

"It's not at all closed the door on anything."

Mr Crockett said the Calder Park decision was backed by Labour, Tory, Liberal Democrat and independent councillors, while the gap beetween them and SNP members was "very small".

"There's no decision that directly pertains to Aberdeen Football Club that was made yesterday, and there's a lot of room for discussion and I'm very optimistic that we can produce an outcome there that can satisfy people," said the council leader.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotlan...tland-19342785

[Ultima]

Get a grip, Aberdeen.

[RapidTaco]

Deary me

[Pious Fraud]

Originally Posted by Glom

Also, the City isn't opposing the AWPR, but rather one lone nutjob who has been given far too much opportunity to be a complete c...

The fucking hobbit-shagger!

Deal with him, Lord.

Let him know the horror of the jaws of hell before they close over him!

Baron Samedi



Lord of the Graveyard

[RapidTaco]

Originally Posted by Pious Fraud

The fucking hobbit-shagger!

Deal with him, Lord.

Let him know the horror of the jaws of hell before they close over him!

Baron Samedi

Lord of the Graveyard

Pious, you get more strange by the day

[leadensky]

Let me get this right. The council rejected a scheme that not only had the democratic backing of the people, but to which a businessman was willing to contribute £50million of his own money?!

Why?

[HappilyINSANE]

Originally Posted by Quirinalian

Well, the referendum would've presumably given councillors something to think about, but ultimately it's their decision. If they think they're best placed to make a different judgement - having gone through a great deal of detail (hopefully!) - then it's fine for them to reach a different decision.

If I had my way, I'd probably have gone for something in the middle of the two proposals. Raise the level of UTG, cover over the road and railway line but retain it as effectively a sunken garden. Connecting it with the back of Belmont Street would've meant far easier access as well as more amenities nearby.

Agree with the middle proposal above but would like to point out that the original Libdem/SNP council went ahead with the plans following the referendum result. It is the new labour controlled council that have voted against the will of the people in favour of an alternative proposal which is still going to cost the council millions but without the private investment. An application for a TIF will seemingly still go ahead. According to labour it appears the Liberals have actually voted with the Labour group this time going back on their decision earlier.

This is ridiculous as I actually hosted a debate on lacal radio in Aberdeen on this issue before the referendum with a lib dem Councillor actually the representative in favour of the project.

It looks like the labour controlled council (not that you would know from any MSM reports - you wont hear labour said in a bad word on the BBC in Scotland) have now killed of the new Aberdeen FC stadium and the 3rd Don crossing will be next.

I think it is plain to see why development is being stifled in Aberdeen - petty resentments at the SNP.

[Ultima]

Originally Posted by HappilyINSANE

Agree with the middle proposal above but would like to point out that the original Libdem/SNP council went ahead with the plans following the referendum result. It is the new labour controlled council that have voted against the will of the people in favour of an alternative proposal which is still going to cost the council millions but without the private investment. An application for a TIF will seemingly still go ahead. According to labour it appears the Liberals have actually voted with the Labour group this time going back on their decision earlier.

This is ridiculous as I actually hosted a debate on lacal radio in Aberdeen on this issue before the referendum with a lib dem Councillor actually the representative in favour of the project.

It looks like the labour controlled council (not that you would know from any MSM reports - you wont hear labour said in a bad word on the BBC in Scotland) have now killed of the new Aberdeen FC stadium and the 3rd Don crossing will be next.

I think it is plain to see why development is being stifled in Aberdeen - petty resentments at the SNP.

Anywhere the Labour Party strikes in Scotland becomes a dependency zone unless the private sector is too powerful for them to completely overpower.

[Pious Fraud]

Originally Posted by RapidTaco

Pious, you get more strange by the day

I don't doubt it, RT.

I ascribe it to the unusually good summer we're having in Glasgow. D'you know I've actually lost count of the number of days when it hasn't been raining? But I reckon it must be in the region of about five.

[Quirinalian]

Originally Posted by HappilyINSANE

I think it is plain to see why development is being stifled in Aberdeen - petty resentments at the SNP.

It seems everyone north of The Mearns has their own conspiracy theory about the other side in this debate. To them I say: get a sense of perspective. People disagree about things, and the UTG projects divided the city for perfectly legitimate reasons.

Some councillors agreed and voted for it, some disagreed and voted against it. That's what councils are there to do.

[Glom]

Carbonite I say. Imagine if this lot had been in charge when Union Street was on the drawing board.

Could the council's attitude be a threat to the AWPR? It's not technically in their jurisdiction and is the domain of Transport Scotland so I'd hope not.

[ForzaD]

What's the current story with AWPR? When are we next hearing news?

[Chris99]

Originally Posted by Glom

Could the council's attitude be a threat to the AWPR?

Thankfully not. The Scottish Govt are driving this.

Originally Posted by ForzaD

What's the current story with AWPR? When are we next hearing news?

Late October according to the grapevine.