Decision details

The Council resolved:-

Streetscape Programme

(i)             to agree the Streetscape Full Business Case (Appendix B) and instruct the Director of Resources, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Commercial & Procurement and Chief Officer - Capital, to proceed with the negotiation and execution of contracts for delivery of the following programmes in the first instance and to report progress to the Finance and Resources Committee on a 6 monthly basis from the date of this report:

a)         Union Street Central

b)         Market Streetscape Phase 1

c)          Schoolhill/Upperkirkgate;

(ii)           to instruct the Director of Resources to progress with developing the remaining streetscape programmes, including options for the provision of physically segregated cycle tracks/lanes, and bring forward for Council consideration and approval an update to the Full Business Case in (i) above following conclusion of design, planning and consultation stages on the below programmes by December 2023:

a)       Union Street East and Castlegate and Justice Street

b)       Union Street West and West End

c)       Market Streetscape Phases 2 and 3

Further design work to be funded from the City Centre and Beach Masterplan budget;

(iii)          to note the instruction from the October 2020 City Growth and Resources Committee that the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning develop the Outline Business Case for the A944/A9119 Multimodal Corridor Study Medium/High Delivery Package (which includes proposals for improved cycle infrastructure between Westhill and Aberdeen City Centre) and instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to report back the Outline Business Case for the A9119 cycle route (Carden Place (including Queens Cross Roundabout), Skene Street and Rosemount Viaduct), currently being progressed via the Bus Partnership Fund, by December 2023, in order to provide an active travel link from the West End into the heart of the City Centre;  

(iv)          to instruct the Chief Officer - Capital not to proceed with a traffic signal-controlled junction at the Broad Street/Upperkirkgate/Gallowgate Junction, in view of the impending changes within the proposed City Centre Masterplan, and instruct the Chief Officer -  Operations and Protective Services to report back to Council on the implications of closing permanently the section of Broad Street between Queen Street and Upperkirkgate to all vehicles;

(v)           to instruct the Chief Officer - Capital following consultation with the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to consult with stakeholders and funders to review current safety concerns with a view to making a recommendation to help mitigate any concerns in the context of the City Centre Masterplan;

(vi)          to approve the allocation of additional revenue funds to the Roads maintenance budget of £16,700 from 2024/25 onwards, which is required to maintain the infrastructure change as detailed in paragraph 4.1 of the report;

(vii)        to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to engage with First Bus and Stagecoach to agree a voluntary code of practice that buses adhere to the same driving arrangements in Union Street Central bus zone as are in place in Broad Street bus zone;

Building Conditions/ Occupancy

(viii)       subject to an updated full business plan being provided by the Open Space Trust and review by officers, agree in principle to restore the capital grant of up to £358,000 to the Open Space Trust which was removed at the Council 2022/23 budget-setting meeting and that this should be funded from the capital allocation to the City Centre and Beach Masterplans, the final decision being referred to the Council's budget setting process for 2023/24;

(ix)          to note the content of the Strategic Outline Case Upper Floor use options at 101-103 Union Street (Appendix G) and instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to continue to review and report back by August 2023;

Aberdeen Market

(x)           to note the business case for Aberdeen Market (Appendix C) and instruct the Director of Resources following consultation with the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to proceed with the negotiation and execution of contracts for delivery and report progress back to Council on a 6 monthly basis from the date of this report;

Queen Street

(xi)          to agree the Strategic Outline Case for Queen Street and instruct the Director of Resources to progress the short-listed options into an Outline Business Case which would identify a preferred option and report back to Council in August 2023; and

City Centre Masterplan Working Group

(xii)        to establish a City Centre Masterplan Working Group which would comprise one member from each political group and Councillors Boulton and Stewart.