Agenda item

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 Protective Services to:-

(1)    maintain current arrangements for the approval of temporary outdoor trading proposals until 31 March 2022;

(2)    reopen Bon Accord Street after the current extension of outdoor seating lapses at the end of March 2022, subject to ongoing considerations regarding the programme of works surrounding South College Street which require earlier reopening;

(3)    Union Street, Belmont Zone and West End Spaces for People interventions to remain until a permanent design and transport mitigation is agreed;

(4)    the use of green spaces, carparks, parks, roads, etc. by private businesses for outdoor trading to cease from the end of March 2022 or to be regularised through the appropriate processes; and

(5)    instruct the Chief Officers of Operations and Protective Services, Governance, Corporate Landlord and Strategic Place Planning to explore options to align the consenting process for businesses who may wish to make permanent any existing temporary outdoor trading, including any necessary management, leasing arrangements and upkeep of public spaces, and report these back to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(g)      agree that the public transport network is the key to maximising mass sustainable movement of people to and from the City Centre, and that changes to Union Street (and any others) which (pre-COVID 19) supported bus services, will require mitigation to protect and enhance the bus experience as part of the COVID recovery plan as well as the City Centre Masterplan review, and that this accords with the recent Bus Partnership Fund bid (subject to a separate report to this Committee);

(h)      instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to develop a Traffic Management Plan to support the City Centre Masterplan Review in consultation with the bus operators and in collaboration with the Chief Officers of Operations and Capital and report this back to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(i)       in response to issues raised by the public consultation simulator, instruct the Director of Resources to:-

(1)    undertake a visual building condition survey and recommend improvement measures, including costs, constraints, methodologies and an implementation programme for all properties on Union Street;

(2)    develop detailed design proposals to create a permanent café culture in the Belmont Street and Back Wynd area in consultation with key stakeholders, residents and traders in the area;

(3)    investigate the possibility of Council-owned land allowing permanent outdoor areas to promote café culture; and

(4)    installing outdoor seating outside Aberdeen Art Gallery as a first phase delivery of café culture.

 

The Convener, seconded by Councillor Grant, moved:-

           that the Committee:-

(1)    approve recommendations (a) to (e) and (g) and (h) above;

(2)    agree that 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 Protective Services to:-

(i)     maintain current arrangements for the approval of temporary outdoor trading proposals until 23:59 on 24 January 2022;

(ii)    reopen Bon Accord Street after the current extension of outdoor seating lapses at the end of January 2022, subject to ongoing considerations regarding the programme of works surrounding South College Street which require earlier reopening;

(iii)    schedule the removal of Spaces for People Interventions from West End (Thistle Street, Chapel Street, Rose Street)  following removal works of previous scheduled Spaces for People intervention removals;

(iv)   Union Street and Belmont Zone Spaces for People interventions to remain until a permanent design and transport mitigation is agreed at the meeting of this committee in November;

(v)    the use of green spaces, carparks, parks, roads, etc. by private businesses for outdoor trading to cease from 23:59 on 24 January 2022 or to be regularised through the appropriate processes; and

(vi)   instruct the Chief Officers of Operations and Protective Services, Governance, Corporate Landlord and Strategic Place Planning to explore options to align the consenting process for businesses who may wish to make permanent any existing outdoor trading, including any necessary management, leasing arrangements and upkeep of public spaces, and report back to this committee in November 2021.

(3)    in response to issues raised by the public consultation simulator, instruct the Director of Resources to:-

(i)     undertake a visual building condition survey and recommend improvement measures, including costs, constraints, methodologies and an implement programme for all properties on Union Street reporting back to City Growth and Resources Committee in November on the progress;

(ii)    develop detailed design proposals to create a permanent café culture in the Belmont Street and Back Wynd area in consultation with key stakeholders, residents and traders in the area reporting back to City Growth and Resources Committee in November on the progress;

(iii)    investigate the possibility of Council-owned land allowing permanent outdoor areas to promote café culture reporting back to City Growth and Resources Committee in November on the progress; and

(iv)   investigate installing outdoor seating outside Aberdeen Art Gallery as a first phase delivery of café culture.

 

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

           that the Committee:-

(1)    approve recommendations (b) to (e) and (g) to (i) above;

(2)    note that the review of the City Centre Masterplan 2015 was not an exercise to replace or supersede the CCMP, but rather look at a number of priority intervention areas, within scope. However recognises the need for the CCMP to become a ‘living document’, that is updated frequently to reflect changes in the needs of the city and its residents. Therefore, instructs the Director of Resources to report back to the December 2022 meeting of Council with recommendations on projects that should be added to and removed from the City Centre Masterplan, with annual reviews from the Director of Resources thereafter;

(3)    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 Protective Services to:-

(i)     maintain current arrangements for the approval of temporary outdoor trading proposals until 31 March 2022, apart from those affected by (vi) below;

(ii)    reopen Bon Accord Street at the end of November 2021, subject to ongoing considerations regarding the programme of works surrounding South College Street which require earlier reopening;

(iii)    Union Street, Belmont Zone and West End Spaces for People interventions to remain until permanent design and transport mitigation, as detailed in 2.4, is considered at the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(iv)   the use of green spaces, carparks, parks, etc. by private businesses for outdoor trading to cease from the end of March 2022 or to be regularised through the appropriate processes,

(v)    the use of roads by private businesses for outdoor trading to cease from the end of November 2021; and

(vi)   instruct the Chief Officers of Operations and Protective Services, Governance, Corporate Landlord and Strategic Place Planning to explore options to align the consenting process for businesses who may wish to make permanent any existing temporary outdoor trading, including any necessary management, leasing arrangements and upkeep of public spaces, and report these back to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(4)    instruct the Director of Resources to engage with Bon Accord Heritage and carry out an options appraisal, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for making a capital contribution towards the restoration of the Bon Accord Baths, and to bring a report to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022;

(5)    instruct the Director of Resources to engage with Castlegate Arts Limited and carry out an options appraisal, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for restorations and improvements that would ensure the long-term viability of the building as an arts venue, and to bring a report to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022;

(6)    instruct the Director of Resources bring forward an outline business case, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for the Council to purchase upper floors along Union Street for conversion to housing, reporting to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021; and

(7)    instruct the Director of Resources to bring forward an outline business case, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for the Council to purchase and operate mechanical street cleaners to assist with the upkeep of the city centre, reporting to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022.

 

Councillor Yuill, seconded by Councillor Cooke, moved a further amendment:-

that the Committee:-

(1)    approve recommendations (a) to (e) and (g) to (i) above; and

(2)    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, 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, and that the Council made it clear in Spring 2020 that the Spaces for People interventions in the city centre were a temporary measure introduced in response to the public health emergency instruct the Chief Officers of Capital and Operations and Protective Services to:-

(i)     maintain current arrangements for the approval of temporary outdoor trading proposals until 30 September 2021;

(ii)     reopen Bon Accord Street at the end of September 2021, subject to ongoing considerations regarding the programme of works surrounding South College Street which require earlier reopening;

(iii)    Union Street, Belmont Zone and West End Spaces for People interventions to be removed as soon as is practical;

(iv)    the use of green spaces, carparks, parks, roads, etc. by private businesses for outdoor trading to cease from the end of September 2021 or to be regularised through the appropriate processes; and

(v)    instruct the Chief Officers of Operations and Protective Services, Governance, Corporate Landlord and Strategic Place Planning to explore options to align the consenting process for businesses who may wish to make permanent any existing temporary outdoor trading, including any necessary management, leasing arrangements and  upkeep of public spaces, and report these back to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021;

(3)    instruct the Director of Resources to engage with Bon Accord Heritage and carry out an options appraisal, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for making a capital contribution towards the restoration of the Bon Accord Baths, and to bring a report to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022;

(4)    instruct the Director of Resources to engage with Castlegate Arts Limited and carry out an options appraisal, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for restorations and improvements that would ensure the long-term viability of the building as an arts venue, and to bring a report to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022;

(5)    instruct the Director of Resources bring forward an outline business case, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for the Council to purchase upper floors along Union Street for conversion to housing, reporting to the City Growth and Resources Committee in November 2021; and

(6)    instruct the Director of Resources to bring forward an outline business case, to be funded from the CCMP budget allocation, for the Council to purchase and operate mechanical street cleaners to assist with the upkeep of the city centre, reporting to the City Growth and Resources Committee in February 2022.

 

There being a motion and two amendments, the Committee first divided between the amendment by Councillor Nicoll and the amendment by Councillor Yuill.

 

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

 

The Committee then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Nicoll.

 

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

 

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.