How can we help you...

Agenda item

Notice of Motion by Councillors Allard and Yuill

This Council:

 

1.          Notes with regret the decision by M&S to close its St. Nicholas Street store in spring 2025.

2.          Welcomes M&S decision to invest £15 million to create a new and modern 70,000 square foot department store in Aberdeen city centre due to open in spring 2025.

3.          Welcomes the commitment from M&S that all permanent staff employed at the St. Nicholas Street store will retain their jobs.

4.          Notes that the St. Nicholas Street store building is owned by M&S.

5.          Notes that Aberdeen City Council, public and private sector partners, and M&S are committed to working together to find a new use for the St. Nicholas Street building.

6.          Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to report to the Finance and Resources Committee on 8 May 2024, subject to the requirements of commercial confidentiality, on developments relating to the St. Nicholas Street building.

Minutes:

The Council had before it a joint notice of motion by Councillors Allard and Yuilll in the following terms:-

         

          This Council:

 

1.    Notes with regret the decision by M&S to close its St. Nicholas Street store in spring 2025.

2.    Welcomes M&S decision to invest £15 million to create a new and modern 70,000 square foot department store in Aberdeen city centre due to open in spring 2025.

3.    Welcomes the commitment from M&S that all permanent staff employed at the St. Nicholas Street store will retain their jobs.

4.    Notes that the St. Nicholas Street store building is owned by M&S.

5.    Notes that Aberdeen City Council, public and private sector partners, and M&S are committed to working together to find a new use for the St. Nicholas Street building.

6.    Instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to report to the Finance and Resources Committee on 8 May 2024, subject to the requirements of commercial confidentiality, on developments relating to the St Nicholas Street building.

 

Councillor Yuill moved, seconded by Councillor Allard:-

          That the Council approve the joint notice of motion.

 

Councillor Ali moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Watson:-

          That the Council -

(1)       note with regret the decision by M&S to close its St. Nicholas Street store in spring 2025;

(2)       note that in 2021 the Press and Journal reported that the then Marks and Spencer Manager, Neil Hansell, stressed the importance of pedestrianisation to helping city centre businesses. Note that, in the article stated:

Neil Hansell, manager at Marks and Spencer, also believes speed is of the essence and believes that swift change should be achievable. “The proposal we are putting forward really isn’t a new approach, as it is in the city masterplan,” he said. “We believe that making a small stretch of Union Street pedestrianised would help all business benefit in the city.”

(3)       agree this decision by M&S has been made easier by the nonsensical decision of the Administration not to embrace pedestrianisation within the middle section of Union Street and by their introduction of bus gates, which is putting people off using the City Centre;

(4)       agree the decision by the Scottish Government not to use the Barnet consequential to provide business rate relief which matches businesses in England means that businesses in Scotland remain uncompetitive compared to the rest of the UK;

(5)          agree the previous Administration brought forward the City Centre Masterplan as well as the plans to develop the old BHS Building into an Aberdeen Market;

(6)          agree that by abandoning the pedestrianisation plans and by introducing bus gates this SNP Administration has given up in the city centre and in Aberdeen itself; and

(7)          instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to report to the Finance and Resources Committee on 8 May 2024, subject to the requirements of commercial confidentiality, on developments relating to the St. Nicholas Street building.

 

On a division, there voted:-

 

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

 

For the amendment  (10)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Farquhar, Graham, Lawrence, Macdonald, Thomson and Watson.

 

Absent from the division  (4)  -  Councillors Brooks, Grant, Mrs Stewart and Tissera.

 

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.