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| Union Terrace Gardens: 'Aberdeen saved from certain financial embarrassment' | Union Terrace Gardens: 'Aberdeen saved from certain financial embarrassment' |
| (4 months later) | |
| Last Wednesday, Aberdeen council rejected the City Garden project, the controversial plan to replace a Victorian park in the centre of Aberdeen with a modern park and buildings. The existing park, Union Terrace Gardens, had been designed by the architects who also built many of the granite buildings for which Aberdeen is famous. | Last Wednesday, Aberdeen council rejected the City Garden project, the controversial plan to replace a Victorian park in the centre of Aberdeen with a modern park and buildings. The existing park, Union Terrace Gardens, had been designed by the architects who also built many of the granite buildings for which Aberdeen is famous. |
| The project had been controversial from the start. It had been proposed by local oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, who had promised to invest £50 million in the scheme providing his strict conditions for the basic design of the new park was met. He had also asked for £70 million of public money to part-fund his project. | The project had been controversial from the start. It had been proposed by local oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood, who had promised to invest £50 million in the scheme providing his strict conditions for the basic design of the new park was met. He had also asked for £70 million of public money to part-fund his project. |
| The City Garden proposal effectively put an end to existing plans to build an art centre in the park even though it had only been given planning permission months before. Sir Ian Wood's project thus not only enraged the local arts community but also upset the heritage lobby who saw an important city centre landmark obliterated by the plans. | The City Garden proposal effectively put an end to existing plans to build an art centre in the park even though it had only been given planning permission months before. Sir Ian Wood's project thus not only enraged the local arts community but also upset the heritage lobby who saw an important city centre landmark obliterated by the plans. |
| The controversy was further inflamed when the Scottish government funded a public consultation that resulted in the rejection of the City Gardens. Over fifty local businessmen wrote to Aberdeen council persuading them to ignore the result, which they did. The outrage that followed culminated in a series of demonstrations outside the council buildings and the formation of a campaign group "The Friends of Union Terrace Gardens". | The controversy was further inflamed when the Scottish government funded a public consultation that resulted in the rejection of the City Gardens. Over fifty local businessmen wrote to Aberdeen council persuading them to ignore the result, which they did. The outrage that followed culminated in a series of demonstrations outside the council buildings and the formation of a campaign group "The Friends of Union Terrace Gardens". |
| After the consultation vote was rejected, there ensued three years of wrangling, demonstrations and a determination to trip up the progress of the scheme through the council by impeding the procedural mechanism at every turn. | After the consultation vote was rejected, there ensued three years of wrangling, demonstrations and a determination to trip up the progress of the scheme through the council by impeding the procedural mechanism at every turn. |
| The council organised a second vote in an attempt to try and move things along. The referendum resulted this time in a narrow victory for the City Gardens. However, this failed to calm the issue. The rules of the referendum limited campaign groups to £8,000 spending. Unconstrained by these rules, the city's businessmen spent a very large sum of money on a PR blitz of radio adverts and glossy campaign literature in what proved to be a very one-sided campaign. | The council organised a second vote in an attempt to try and move things along. The referendum resulted this time in a narrow victory for the City Gardens. However, this failed to calm the issue. The rules of the referendum limited campaign groups to £8,000 spending. Unconstrained by these rules, the city's businessmen spent a very large sum of money on a PR blitz of radio adverts and glossy campaign literature in what proved to be a very one-sided campaign. |
| A sting in the tail ensued. The local council elections were held one month later. The Labour group had campaigned on a promise to stop the project. Massive tactical voting gave Labour the largest number of seats, enough to form a coalition with the independents and conservatives. | A sting in the tail ensued. The local council elections were held one month later. The Labour group had campaigned on a promise to stop the project. Massive tactical voting gave Labour the largest number of seats, enough to form a coalition with the independents and conservatives. |
| After last Wednesday's vote, the City Gardens is almost certainly dead. Sir Ian Wood has informed the chief executive of the council that he has withdrawn his offer of £50 million funding. This has almost certainly saved Aberdeen council from financial embarrassment. The business case for council borrowing was very poor, there was a shortfall of £15 million of promised private investment and there wasn't even any detailed final costings provided for the project. | After last Wednesday's vote, the City Gardens is almost certainly dead. Sir Ian Wood has informed the chief executive of the council that he has withdrawn his offer of £50 million funding. This has almost certainly saved Aberdeen council from financial embarrassment. The business case for council borrowing was very poor, there was a shortfall of £15 million of promised private investment and there wasn't even any detailed final costings provided for the project. |
| The focus now lands on what will happen next for the city. The campaign in favour of the City Gardens had focused on its economic benefits. The proposed modern park, it was said, would make Aberdeen city centre a more attractive place. It was claimed that this would have had the benefit of attracting energy professionals here that would otherwise have been persuaded to move to oil cities such as Dubai or Kuala Lumpur. | The focus now lands on what will happen next for the city. The campaign in favour of the City Gardens had focused on its economic benefits. The proposed modern park, it was said, would make Aberdeen city centre a more attractive place. It was claimed that this would have had the benefit of attracting energy professionals here that would otherwise have been persuaded to move to oil cities such as Dubai or Kuala Lumpur. |
| I find this argument unconvincing. Many oil professionals stay in Aberdeen long term. There used to be a saying amongst oil company managers: | I find this argument unconvincing. Many oil professionals stay in Aberdeen long term. There used to be a saying amongst oil company managers: |
| You can't get the beggars to come up here, and once you do, you can't get them out again. | You can't get the beggars to come up here, and once you do, you can't get them out again. |
| I'm the chairman of the Friends of Union Terrace Gardens campaign group, but I'm also an oilman myself with over thirty years industry experience. I find it bizarre that discussions about anchoring energy companies in Aberdeen have revolved about the attractiveness of a city centre park or otherwise. | I'm the chairman of the Friends of Union Terrace Gardens campaign group, but I'm also an oilman myself with over thirty years industry experience. I find it bizarre that discussions about anchoring energy companies in Aberdeen have revolved about the attractiveness of a city centre park or otherwise. |
| In my opinion, the public money earmarked for the City Garden project would have been better used to fund an energy research centre in the city, both to find ways to improve recovery from oil fields and in managing a transition from oil to a local industry based on renewable energy. It is astonishing that there is no major energy research facility in Aberdeen given the vast amount of money that North Sea oil contributes to the exchequer. | In my opinion, the public money earmarked for the City Garden project would have been better used to fund an energy research centre in the city, both to find ways to improve recovery from oil fields and in managing a transition from oil to a local industry based on renewable energy. It is astonishing that there is no major energy research facility in Aberdeen given the vast amount of money that North Sea oil contributes to the exchequer. |
| There is much bridge building to be done given the anger raging in the city at the moment. What we hope to do now as a campaign group is to offer to work with the council, raising money, applying for various heritage grants and generally running events in the newly saved Union Terrace Gardens. A similar model exists in Aberdeen, the Friends of Duthie Park have raised millions for the restoration of another Victorian park in the south of the city. | There is much bridge building to be done given the anger raging in the city at the moment. What we hope to do now as a campaign group is to offer to work with the council, raising money, applying for various heritage grants and generally running events in the newly saved Union Terrace Gardens. A similar model exists in Aberdeen, the Friends of Duthie Park have raised millions for the restoration of another Victorian park in the south of the city. |
| Union Terrace Gardens has survived for the enjoyment of future generations. Also saved is something very special. There are seven ancient elm trees in the gardens. These are amongst the last surviving mature elm trees in northern Europe; the ravages of Dutch Elm disease largely bypassed Aberdeen. | Union Terrace Gardens has survived for the enjoyment of future generations. Also saved is something very special. There are seven ancient elm trees in the gardens. These are amongst the last surviving mature elm trees in northern Europe; the ravages of Dutch Elm disease largely bypassed Aberdeen. |
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