Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be found here.

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Convener advised (1) that an Urgent Notice of Motion had been submitted by Councillor Boulton relating to Provost Skene’s House Restoration Works, and in terms of Standing Order 12.9, he would be accepting it onto the agenda; and (2) that item 7.1 (Notice of Motion by Councillor Hutchison – Beach Masterplan) and the Urgent Notice of Motion by Councillor Boulton would be considered prior to the Exempt/Confidential items of Business on the agenda).

The Committee resolved:-

to note that the above Notices of Motions would be considered prior to the Exempt/Confidential items of Business on the agenda (articles 17 and 18 of this minute refers).

In relation to item 13.1 (Aberdeen International Market – August 2021 Update Report), the Committee was advised that following advice from Legal Services, the report should be considered exempt under paragraph 9 of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The Convener proposed that the Committee consider items 13.1 (Aberdeen International Market – August 2021 Update Report), 13.2 (Berryden Corridor Improvement Business Case Update), 13.3 (Chapel Street Car Park - Lease Proposal), 13.4 (Placed Based Investment Programme - Exempt Appendix) and 13.5 Disposal of Eastside of Carnie - Lands of Skene House - Exempt Appendix) with the press and public excluded from the meeting.

The Committee resolved:-

in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the above items so as to avoid disclosure of information of the classes described in the following paragraphs of Schedule 7(A) to the Act:- articles 19 and 23 (paragraph 9) and articles 20, 21 and 22 (paragraph 8).

Members were requested to intimate any declarations of interest in respect of the items on today’s agenda, thereafter the following were intimated:-

(1)      Councillor Cooke declared an interest in item 7.1 (Notice of Motion by Councillor Hutchison – Beach Masterplan), 11.5 (City Centre Masterplan Review) and item 11.6 (Beachfront Projects Feasibility Report), by virtue of him being an Aberdeen City Council appointed Director of SportAberdeen. He considered that the nature of his interest did not require him to leave the meeting, therefore he remained in the meeting throughout these items;

(2)      Councillor Hutchison declared an interest in item 11.5 (City Centre Masterplan Review), by virtue of him being a resident of George Street, given there was references to the street in the documents. He considered that the nature of his interest did not require him to leave the meeting, therefore he remained in the meeting throughout this item whilst substituting for Councillor McLellan; and

(3)      Councillor Yuill declared an interest in item 11.5 (City Centre Masterplan Review), by virtue of him being an Aberdeen City Council appointed member of Robert Gordon’s College Board of Governors. He considered that the nature of his interest did not require him to leave the meeting, therefore he remained in the meeting throughout this item.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 10 August 2021, for approval.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

The Committee had before it the Committee Business Planner prepared by the Chief Officer – Governance.

Councillor Nicoll, seconded by Councillor McLellan moved as a procedural motion:-

that the Committee:-

(1)        note the agenda and business discussed at the meeting of Aberdeen City Council on 23 August 2021;

(2)        note the Agenda and Business Planner for the meeting of the City Growth and Resources Committee on 25 August 2021;

(3)        note that many of the Committee papers for the City Growth and Resources Committee will have considerable long-term implications for the City of Aberdeen, both economically and in terms of Place which will have lasting impact on all the residents in our City; and

(4)        instruct the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Governance, to ensure that the following large scale projects: the City Centre Masterplan Review at Item 11.5,  Beachfront Projects Feasibility Report at Item 11.6 and the Aberdeen International Market at Item 13.1 are, after the City Growth and Resources Committee of 25 August 2021, transferred to the Council Business Planner in order that all 45 elected members of Aberdeen City Council have an opportunity to speak, debate and vote as appropriate on key issues affecting the future of our City, rather than a Committee comprising 9 elected members such as the City Growth and Resources Committee.

On a division, there voted:- for the procedural motion (4) – Councillors Cooke, McLellan, Nicoll and Yuill; against the procedural motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to reject the procedural motion;

(ii)       to remove item 62 (School Business Cases) from the planner for the reasons outlined therein;

(iii)      that in relation to item 62 (School Business Cases - New Primary School at Countesswells), to instruct the Chief Officer – Capital to circulate a Service Update to members of the Committee and Ward Members following the closure of the procurement process or other suitable milestone;

(iv)      to note the reason for the reporting delay in relation to item 4 (Freeport/Greenport update), item 6 (Queen Street Development) and item 10 (Wellington Road Multimodal Corridor Study STAG Part 2); and

(v)      to otherwise note the content of the Committee Planner.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided an update on the Aberdeen City affordable housing delivery programme and sought approval of the allocation of funding.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the allocation of the Section 75 and Council Tax monies detailed at section 3.4 of the report for the future delivery of affordable housing.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve the recommendation; and

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to circulate further details relating to the developments and numbers of the proposed units in relation to the affordable housing supply grant for 2020/21 to the members of the Committee by way of email.

Please note that an exempt appendix is contained within the Exempt/Confidential Business section of this agenda.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided an update on the grant allocated to Aberdeen City Council from the Place Based Investment Programme Fund, and sought instruction to allocate a proportion of the funds in line with the conditions accepted.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      agree to allocate up to £430,000 to the Union Terrace Gardens Play Park Proposal and delegates authority to the Chief Officer - Capital, following consultation with the Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, to consider and approve a procurement business case for the project for the purposes of Procurement Regulation 4.1.1.2; and thereafter to procure appropriate works and services, and enter into any contracts necessary for the project; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth to bring a report to the next Committee with details of other projects that could draw down the remaining Place Based Investment Programme funding.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 8 of the minute of the previous meeting of 11 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Customer Services, which outlined the status of key performance measures relating to City Growth and Resources cluster activities.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the report and the performance information contained within the Appendix.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which sought approval for a revision of the Council’s Plaques Policy, which guided the decisions of Council officers and Committees on whether a person, event or building should be recognised with a plaque by the City Council, and was last revised in 2002.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      agree to the implementation of the Plaques Policy with effect from the date of the Committee meeting (25 August 2021); and

(b)      agree to the proposed colour change for the People Plaques to blue and white.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to agree to the implementation of the Plaques Policy with effect from the date of the Committee meeting (25 August 2021), subject to amending the Policy by replacing the word ‘must’ with ‘should normally’ in the qualifying criteria for people plaques (in section 5.1), and also making any necessary consequential amendments to the Policy and supporting documentation; and

(ii)       to otherwise approve recommendation (b).

With reference to article 17 of the minute of meeting of 3 February 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which sought approval of an Updated Strategic Business Case for the External Transportation Links to the Aberdeen South Harbour project.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note and approve the Updated Strategic Business Case (USBC) for the External Transportation Links to the Aberdeen South Harbour project, as per Appendix 1;

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth in his remit as Chair of the Programming Board to submit the USBC to the UK and Scottish Governments to draw down £1.2m from the £25m allocated to this project from the Aberdeen City Region Deal;

(c)      approve the £1.2m for project manager resource and the costs outlined to complete the design work; and

(d)      subject to approval by the UK and Scottish Governments, instruct the Chief Officer - Capital to progress the next stages of project delivery, including but not limited to, surveys and investigations, design development, obtaining all necessary approvals, permissions, licences, agreements and consents required to develop the design and an Outline Business Case for the project and to report back to this Committee and the City Region Deal Joint Committee upon completion in 2024, and to provide an update if not completed by that time.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant, moved:-

           that the Committee approve the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Allard, seconded by Councillor Nicoll, moved as an amendment:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)        approve the recommendations contained within the report;

(2)        note the progress by Aberdeen Harbour Board in delivering the Aberdeen South Harbour;

(3)        note the potential difference between completion of the Aberdeen South Harbour and the completion of the proposed access route;

(4)        instruct the Chief Officer – Capital  to submit a report to the City Growth and Resources Committee on the movement of traffic through the localities of Torry and Cove, in an effort to ensure that these communities will not be adversely impacted by large vehicles such as coaches and HGVs, by means of introducing weight, width or other restrictions as officers deem necessary; and

(5)        instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth  to explore funding sources, such as the City Region Deal funding and Transport Scotland, to cover the traffic management costs which may be entailed by any recommendations in the report referred to in (d) above.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Allard, Cooke, Nicoll and Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to adopt the motion; and

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer – Capital to investigate all possible measures to expedite the delivery of the harbour link road and update members of the Committee accordingly.

With reference to article 20 of the minute of meeting of 3 February 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided details on the success of the North East Bus Alliance Bid to the Scottish Government Bus Partnership Fund, and the next steps.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that £12,030,000 has been granted by Transport Scotland to Aberdeen City Council to work with partners in the North East Bus Alliance to develop and deliver the bus priority interventions through a series of workstreams and deliverables, as described in paragraph 3.2;

(b)      acknowledge that this funding will support public transport in line with the Council’s ambitious Net Zero Carbon plans for Aberdeen;

(c)      note the current governance arrangements in place across the North East Bus Alliance, as outlined in paragraphs 3.8 and 3.9, and the comfort this will provide to the Council in the delivery of the approved programme;

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning and Chief Officer – Capital to continue to work with partners to deliver the projects in accordance with the grant conditions; and

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning to prepare quarterly Service Updates on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant moved:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)    approve recommendations (a) to (d) above; and

(2)    instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit a report to the November 2021 meeting of the Committee on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

Councillor Nicoll, seconded by Councillor Cooke, moved as an amendment:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)        approve the recommendations above;

(2)        note the contents of the reports at items 11.5 and 13.2 on the agenda in respect of the City Centre Masterplan Review and the Berryden Corridor proposals and considers the potential impact of these projects on the Wapping Street and Guild Street traffic management issues as regards connectivity between the Berryden Corridor and South College Street / Market Street;

(3)        instruct the Chief Officers of Strategic Place Planning and Capital to provide an options appraisal to resolve congestion issues in the Wapping Street and Guild Street areas and to improve connectivity between these three major arterial routes, together with an outline business case for potential improvements, both to be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee; and

(4)        instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to submit a report to the November 2021 meeting of the Committee on the progress of the delivery of this grant.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP; for the amendment (4) – Councillors Cooke, McLellan, Nicoll and Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

With reference to article 10 of the minute of meeting of 11 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided the feasibility outcomes and recommendations for the Printfield 10 mural project.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the creativity and work that has gone into developing the Printfield 10 project proposals to date;

(b)      note the significant costs in delivering and maintaining the proposed murals as well as the Council staff resources which would be required to complete the project;

(c)      agree that the murals are not a feasible part of the Printfield 10 project due to the costs and challenges associated with them; and

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth to provide the Denis Law Legacy Trust with appropriate support to identify potential funding avenues to realise the walking trail proposal.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendations (a) and (b);

(ii)       to agree that the murals are not a feasible part of the Printfield 10 project at this time due to the costs and challenges associated with them;

(iii)      to agree to allocate up to £20,000 from the Common Good to support the walking trail;

(iv)      to delegate authority to the Chief Officer – City Growth to enter into appropriate agreements and arrangements as necessary to facilitate the delivery of the walking trail; and

(v)      to delegate authority to Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord in consultation with the Convener of City Growth and Resources Committee and Convener of Capital Programme Committee to determine the location and installation of the Denis Law statue.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which provided information on the anticipated capacity exemption application in respect of spectators for the Tour of Britain event in Aberdeen and sought a delegation to officers to determine capacity exemption applications.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that the Council anticipates receiving a capacity exemption application from Sweetspot Ltd to increase capacity for the 2021 Tour of Britain finish and that future capacity exemption applications for other events may be received by the Council as Covid-19 restrictions are eased;

(b)      delegate authority to the Chief Officer - City Growth to determine all such applications following consultation with the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services, the Chief Officer - Governance, the Director of Public Health and Aberdeen’s Safety Advisory Group, in terms of the Health Protection (Coronavirus) (Requirements) (Scotland) Regulations 2021; and

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to keep under review any approvals of such applications and delegates authority to the Chief Officer City Growth, following consultation with the Chief Officer Operations and Protective Services and the Chief Officer - Governance, to revoke such approvals and add, vary or remove conditions as appropriate, in terms of the said Regulations.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendations (a) and (b); and

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to keep under review any approvals of such applications and delegates authority to the Chief Officer City Growth, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services, the Chief Officer - Governance and the Convener of the City Growth and Resources Committee, to revoke such approvals and add, vary or remove conditions as appropriate, in terms of the said Regulations.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of meeting of 15 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which presented an update on progress of the 2015 City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) review and provided recommendations on what could be prioritised in the short term to support initial economic recovery within the City.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note that the review of the City Centre Masterplan 2015 is not an exercise to replace or supersede the CCMP, but rather look at a number of priority intervention areas, within scope;

(b)      approve the City Centre Masterplan 2015 Review and project recommendations as detailed in Appendix A Section 3 and acknowledge the projects that have been completed since the approval of the CCMP in 2015, that a number of others are well underway, and that others are not within the control of Aberdeen City Council at this time and require partnership working with other stakeholders;

(c)      note the high level of response to the recent public engagement exercise on the future of the City Centre, the priority projects which scored the highest aspart of this exercise, and the responses received on what it would take toattract people back into the City Centre in the short-term (Appendix A Section 2) and instruct the Director of Resources to publish the results online;

(d)      note the indicative visioning exercise for current City Centre interventions areas on Union Street, the West End, Castlegate, and Schoolhill/Upperkirkgate and instruct the Director of Resources to develop these indicative works to detailed design stage including costing, delivery timelines and consultation with key stakeholders, residents and traders in the area for:

(1)    Redesign of Union Street Central streetscape, complete with consideration of the associated changes to the surrounding transport network to facilitate the project as envisaged in Appendix A section12;

(2)    Union Street West and West End as envisaged in Appendix A section 12;

(3)    Union Street East and Castlegate (linked to accessibility studies and design work for the Beach Masterplan) as envisaged in Appendix A section 12;

(4)    Schoolhill and Upperkirkgate as envisaged in Appendix A section 12;

(5)    Undertake key stakeholder engagement to inform the design for each of the above projects and report progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on 3 November 2021;

(e)      agree that George Street be subject to its own public engagement exercise, and instruct the Director of Commissioning to report back progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(f)       in light of the instruction to proceed with detailed design for the redesign of Union Street Central streetscape, to support businesses as we emerge out of the pandemic and noting correspondence from the Scottish Government (dated 15 July 2021) in respect of continuation of special measures to enable the erection of temporary buildings by the hospitality sector, and that guidance on such has been extended to 31 March 2022, instruct the Chief Officers of Capital and Operations and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

With reference to article 17 of the minute of meeting of 11 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided an update on the output of the technical feasibility studies, public consultation and proposed Beach Masterplan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      to instruct the Director of Resources to move to Full Business Case and options appraisal for the Beach Ballroom including a major refurbishment and report back on progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on the 3 November 2021;

(b)      to instruct the Director of Resources to progress detailed design for the Queens Links to incorporate landscaping, public realm, playpark and integrated water features;

(c)      to instruct the Director of Resources to develop Full Business Cases and options appraisal for Sports/Leisure Facilities on the Kings Links which would include full redevelopment of new facilities as well as a major refurbishment of existing facilities and report back on progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on the 3 November 2021;

(d)      to instruct the Director of Resources to develop Full Business Cases and options appraisal for Broadhill and report back on progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on 3 November 2021;

(e)      to instruct the Director of Resources to initiate a formal pre-application consultation for the Beachfront activities (Beach Ballroom, Sports/Leisure facilities, public realm/beach landscaping) and/or subsequent planning applications thereafter;

(f)       to instruct the Director of Resources to Develop and implement measures along the promenade and surrounding areas as per paragraph 3.8.7 of the report;

(g)      Instruct the Director of Resources to move to a Full Business Case and options appraisal for the Beach Boulevard with connectivity to the City Centre through the Castlegate thereby anchoring a closer link between the city centre and the beach and report back on progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on 3 November 2021;

(h)      to instruct the Director of Resources to prepare an options appraisal for the provision of an Energy Centre as described within section 3.21 of the report and report back on progress to the City Growth and Resources Committee on 3 November 2021;

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant, moved:-

           that the Committee approve the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Yuill, seconded by Councillor Hutchison, moved as an amendment:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)    approve the recommendations contained within the report;

(2)    agrees that no City Council funds will be used for the construction of a stadium at Aberdeen Beach; and

(3)    agrees that any City Council assets, including but not limited to land, required to construct a stadium at Aberdeen Beach will not be sold or leased to the stadium developer below market value.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (8) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Cooke, Grant, Hutchison, Lumsden MSP and Nicoll; for the amendment (1) – Councillor Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to adopt the motion;

(ii)       that in relation to (g) above,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

Please note that there is an exempt appendix contained within the Exempt/Confidential Business section of this agenda below.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided information on the offers received for the Eastside of Carnie Farmhouse, Westhill, Skene, following it being placed on the market for sale.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      accept the recommendation to dispose of this property to the preferred bidder; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Governance to conclude missives for the sale of the property incorporating various qualifications as are necessary to protect the Council’s interest, together with any other matters as are required to complete the sale.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

That the Council:-

(1)            Notes the decision of the City Growth and Resources Committee on 11 May 2021 to formulate a Beach Masterplan and the scope of the area being considered (Area A in appendix 1 - map circulated within the agenda);

(2)            Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth look at what medium and long-term strategic interventions could be made in the area that includes Queens Links Leisure Park (Area B), together with the area bounded by Wellington Street, York Place and Beach Esplanade (Areas C & D);

(3)            Instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, supported by the Chief Officer - City Growth, to progress discussions with the existing owners/occupiers of the properties at Queens Links Leisure Park as to opportunities to improve accessibility to beach front access from existing and future properties; and

(4)            Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to consider funding options that may qualify to support strategic interventions that could supplement a Beach Masterplan and to bring back a report on this, incorporating the findings of (2) & (3) above, to the City, Growth and Resources Committee in due course.

The Committee had before it a Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Hutchison in the following terms:-

“that the Committee:-

(1)    notes the decision of the City Growth and Resources Committee on 11 May 2021 to formulate a Beach Masterplan and the scope of the area being considered (Area A in appendix 1 - map circulated within the agenda);

(2)    instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth look at what medium and long-term strategic interventions could be made in the area that includes Queens Links Leisure Park (Area B), together with the area bounded by Wellington Street, York Place and Beach Esplanade (Areas C & D);

(3)    instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, supported by the Chief Officer - City Growth, to progress discussions with the existing owners/occupiers of the properties at Queens Links Leisure Park as to opportunities to improve accessibility to beach front access from existing and future properties; and

(4)    instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to consider funding options that may qualify to support strategic interventions that could supplement a Beach Masterplan and to bring back a report on this, incorporating the findings of (2) and (3) above, to the City Growth and Resources Committee in due course.”

Councillor Hutchison moved his motion and explained the rationale behind his request. Councillor Hutchison’s motion was seconded by Councillor Cooke.

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant, moved as an amendment:-

that the Committee take no action.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (4) – Councillors Cooke, Hutchison, Nicoll and Yuill; for the amendment (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP;

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the amendment.

The Committee had before it an Urgent Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Boulton in the following terms:-

           “That the Committee:-

(1)    agree to highly commend the work carried out by the Council’s in house, building services team and other professional specialists in the restoration and transformation of Provost Skene’s House;

(2)    agree the standards, professionalism and pride that has been demonstrated throughout the entirety of the project in extremely difficult circumstances has been exceptional;

(3)    agree the public comments by Councillor Hutchison attacking the work of council employees is unfounded and he should apologise to the Council and its workforce;

(4)    note the trade union Unite has written to the Chief Executive and the Council Leader following comments made by Councillor Michael Hutchison regarding Provost Skene’s House workmanship;

(5)    note the Trade Unions are requesting a public apology from Councillor Hutchison; and

(6)    agree that Councillor Hutchison be referred to the Ethical Standards Commissioner and instruct the Chief Executive to make the referral, with reference to section 3.3 of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct.”

Councillor Boulton spoke in support of her notice of motion, explaining the rationale behind it. Councillor Boulton’s motion was seconded by Councillor Grant.

Councillor Alex Nicoll, seconded by Councillor McLennan moved as an amendment:-

that the Committee approve (1) and (2) above, but that no action be taken in relation to (3) to (6) until such time that members of the Committee are in full possession of the facts.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (5) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Boulton, Grant and Lumsden MSP; for the amendment (3) – Councillors Cooke, McLennan and Alex Nicoll; declined to vote (1) - Councillor Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the motion.

In accordance with the decision recorded under article 2 of this minute, the following items of business were considered with the press and public excluded.

With reference to article 16 of the minute of meeting of 11 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided an update on the proposal for a new Aberdeen International Indoor Market element and sought instructions to progress certain elements.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the progress that has been made in the purchase of the site including all copyrights, reports, development proposals, submitted funding applications and then entering into a demolition contract for the site;

(b)      note the progress in developing the scheme to Concept Design and instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to submit a planning application for the proposal at the earliest opportunity;

(c)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to take forward a marketing exercise to identify an operator for the completed facility and thereafter select a preferred bidder to ensure operator input is available at the earliest opportunity;

(d)      progress with the Full Business case for the project bringing this back to this Committee on 3 November 2021;

(e)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to progress with the purchase of other available property within the ‘block’ on terms identified within this report;

(f)       instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to extend the scope of the project to include options to undertake environmental projects to ‘the tunnels’ area;

(g)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to consider option to develop and deliver options for vacant upper floors in the wider block to be brought back into economic use, bring a report back to committee on 3 February 2022; and

(h)      instruct the Chief officer – Corporate Landlord to consider a business case to bring other vacant properties within this key area of Union Street back into economic use reporting back on 3 November 2021.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendations (a) and (b) and (d) to (h);

(ii)       to instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to take forward a marketing exercise to identify an operator for the completed facility and thereafter select a preferred bidder, following consultation with the Convener of City Growth and Resources Committee, to ensure operator input is available at the earliest opportunity; and

(iii)      to instruct the Communications and Marketing Manager to issue a media statement outlining the progress of the new International Market project and issue further statements as other properties in the report are acquired.

With reference to article 4 of the minute of meeting of the Council on 10 March 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which sought approval of the updated business case and implementation of the Berryden Corridor Improvement project (the Project).

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the contents of the updated business case for the Project;

(b)      agree the recommendations within the revised business case for the Project appended to this report;

(c)      note the strategic benefits derived from the delivery of the project to facilitate and support the aspiration of other city centre proposals associated with the Public Realm;

(d)      note the congestion relief, shortened journey times and improve journey time reliability along the road corridor and surrounding road network, thus providing much improved access to the city centre and relief on less appropriate routes through adjacent neighbourhoods, supporting its role as a Radial Route within the new Roads Hierarchy;

(e)      note the anticipated Benefit to Cost Ratio for the Project is in excess of 2 representing a high value for money return on investment;

(f)       note that projects under the Bus Partnership Fund programme will be able to take advantage of the benefits and improved network performance delivered by the Project when advancing their proposals;

(g)      note the Scottish Minister’s decision to confirm the Compulsory Purchase Order and that the General Vesting Declaration will be made during Winter 2021/22, securing the land necessary for the Project and allowing those who’s land is affected to claim compensation;

(h)      delegate authority to the Chief Officer - Capital, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance, to vire surplus funds between transportation project budgets in the General Fund Capital Programme to optimise usage of currently budgeted funds; and

(i)       following any action taken under (h), refers the additional funding requirement to this year’s budget process.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 19 of the minute of meeting of 11 May 2021, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided an update on the options for Chapel Street Car Park following further discussions with interested parties.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)      note the discussions that have taken place since 11 May 2021; and

(b)      instruct the Chief Officer – Corporate Landlord to agree the full details of the proposal and instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to conclude the lease of the site on the terms noted within the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it an exempt appendix relating to the Placed Based Investment Programme report. (Article 7 of this minute refers).

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information contained within the exempt appendix.

The Committee had before it an exempt appendix relating to the Disposal of Eastside of Carnie – Lands of Skene House report. (Article 16 of this minute refers).

The Committee resolved:-

to note the information contained within the exempt appendix.

-                 COUNCILLOR RYAN HOUGHTON, Convener.