Agenda item

With reference to Article 4 of the minute of meeting of the City Growth and Resources Committee of 12 November 2021, the Council had before it a report by the Director of Resources which presented an update on a number of projects to be delivered through the City Centre Masterplan (CCMP) review and made recommendations on next steps to continue to support economic and place-based recovery within the city.

 

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

 

Union Street Building Condition

(a)           note the content of the Building Condition Survey (Appendix A) and agree the identified priorities (Roof, Rainwater Goods, Shopfronts, Stonework), with Zone B (Market Street-Bridge Street) to be prioritised;

(b)           instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to prepare:

a)      a plan for implementation of improvement works to buildings in Council ownership,

b)      a plan for implementation of works to buildings outwith Council ownership, to allow engagement with property owners,

with Zone B (Market Street-Bridge Street) to be prioritised in both circumstances and report progress in June 2022;

(c)           instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to:

a)    prepare a detailed specification for appropriate façade stone cleaning,

b)    investigate means to simplify procedures for statutory consents,

and report progress to Full Council in June 2022;

(d)           instruct the Chief Officer - Commercial and Procurement to develop a procurement and funding plan for building repair work as identified in Appendix A, including investigating a ‘One-stop’ service to cover professional services required to implement improvement works and report the results to Full Council by August 2022;

(e)           note Appendices F and G and instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to advance the works to identify the full range of intervention measures to repopulate vacant units in Union Street to Full Business case including further assessment of potential non-retail uses and report outcomes in December 2022;

 

Belmont Street Café Culture

(f)             note the stakeholder engagement that has been undertaken, the preferred Option 3 identified, and approve the full business case as detailed in Appendix B;

(g)           instruct the Director of Resources to develop and implement a detailed design for Option 3 identified in the Business Case including operational plans in consultation with Belmont Quarter stakeholders and key stakeholders (including Disability Equity Partnership);

(h)           instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to progress with the necessary Traffic Regulation Orders and implement as part of the operational plan and associated delivery measures in the context of the wider traffic management plan;

(i)             note the ongoing engagement with the Disability Equity Partnership and at their request the following interim measures are being progressed:

a)    Introduction of accessible parking spaces in Back Wynd on a trial basis at the earliest opportunity the impact of which will be monitored,

b)    Introduction of temporary accessibility ramps to the south side of Union Street Central located opposite dropped kerb locations existing on the north side of the street;

 

Market to Guild Street Streetscape

(j)             note the design concept masterplan for public realm improvements for the Market Street to Guild Street area as detailed in Appendix D;

(k)           instruct the Director of Resources to develop detailed design for Phase 1 implementation of those improvements in consultation with key stakeholders and report results to Full Council in August 2022;

(l)             instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to progress with the necessary Traffic Regulation Orders to implement in the context of the Phase 1 delivery and the wider traffic management plan;

(m)         instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services and Chief Officer - City Growth to identify opportunities to improve the amenity of the wider Market to Guild Street area in conjunction with the anticipated Phase 1 delivery;

(n)           note the City Growth and Resources Committee instruction to develop a Full Business Case for Union Street East and Castlegate by end 2022 and ensure that business case is developed in tandem with the emerging business case for the Beach Boulevard;

 

George Street

(o)           note the ongoing engagement exercise on the future of the George Street area;

 

City Centre Masterplan Recalibration incorporating the Beach

(p)           instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to recalibrate the City Centre Masterplan to incorporate the Beach and George Street masterplanning exercises and report the results to Full Council in August 2022; and

 

Joint Integrated Mortuary

(q)           note the £18 million capital cost contribution from Scottish Government on behalf of the Health and Justice Directorates and refer simpliciter to the Council’s budget meeting on 7 March 2022.

 

Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Lumsden MSP:-

          That the Council -

(1)     approve the recommendations contained within the report subject to amending recommendation (q) (Joint Integrated Mortuary) to read:-

 

·       agrees that the £18 million capital cost contribution from the Scottish Government on behalf of the Health and Justice Directorates was achieved by the Council’s lobbying of Scottish Government and refer simpliciter to the Council’s budget meeting on 7 March 2022;

(2)  agree the vision presented to Council today via the flythrough is the vision that this Council must deliver for its citizens if it is serious about supporting economic and place-based recovery within the city;

(3)  note the comments from Commercial agents throughout the city that they would have more confidence in securing good quality operators for vacant units on a pedestrianised Union Street Central than they would if it was to return to 4 lanes of traffic;

(4)  note Scottish Water are expected to be doing major works at Guild Street in the summer of 2022 and therefore agrees to temporarily re-open Union Street Central after the completion of the demolition work at Aberdeen Market thus allowing buses, taxis, private hire vehicles and pedal cycles only to go through this space;

(5)  instruct the Chief Officer - Operation and Protective Services to ensure all the works required in respect of bus priority interventions as part of the City Centre Masterplan be done at the same time as the Scottish Water Guild Street works are undertaken where practically possible;

(6)  agree to close Union Street Central to all traffic immediately following the completion of works at Guild Street in order to fulfil the vision of the flythrough which supports pedestrianisation as a way of supporting economic and place-based recovery for our city.

(7)  note the Scottish Government’s long-term vision for active travel in Scotland which has at its heart a strong emphasis on sustainable and people centred areas;

(8)  agree with the Scottish Government that city centres should be people focussed with easy pedestrian and cycle access which meets air quality and noise limit targets; and

(9)  agree the vision for Union Street Central matches the ambitions of the Scottish government’s active travel plans for Scotland.

 

Councillor Boulton moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor McLellan:-

          That the Council -

 

Union Street Building Condition

(i)             welcome the content of the Building Condition Survey (Appendix A) and agree the identified priorities (roof, rainwater goods, shopfronts, stonework) with zone B (Market Street - Bridget Street) to be prioritised;

(ii)           instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to prepare:

(a)       a plan for implementation of improvement works to buildings in Council ownership; and

(b)       a plan for implementation of works to buildings outwith Council ownership, to allow engagement with property owners

with Zone B (Market Street - Bridge Street) to be prioritised in both circumstances and report progress in June 2022;

(iii)          instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to:

(a)       prepare a detailed specification for appropriate façade stone cleaning; and

(b)       investigate means to simplify procedures for statutory consents

and report progress to Full Council in June 2022;

(iv)          instruct the Chief Officer - Commercial and Procurement to develop a procurement and funding plan for building repair work as identified in Appendix A, including investigating a one stop service to cover professional services required to implement improvement works and report the results to Full Council by August 2022;

(v)           note appendices F and G and instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to advance the works to identify the full range of intervention measures to repopulate  vacant units in Union Street to full business case including further assessment of potential non-retail uses and report outcomes in December 2022;

 

Belmont Street Café Culture

(vi)          note the stakeholder engagement that had been undertaken, the preferred option 3 identified, and approve the full business case as detailed in appendix B;

(vii)        instruct the Director of Resources to develop and implement a detailed design for option 3 identified in the business case including the re-introduction of a taxi rank on Back Wynd and include operational plans in consultation with the Belmont Quarter stakeholders and key stakeholders including the Disability Equity Partnership;

(viii)       instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to progress with the necessary traffic regulation orders and implement as part of the operational plan and associated delivery measures in the context of the wider traffic management plan;

(ix)          note the ongoing engagement with the Disability Equity Partnership and at their request the following interim measures are being progressed:

(a)       introduction of accessible parking spaces in Back Wynd only on a trial basis at the earliest opportunity the impact of which will be monitored;

(b)       introduction of temporary accessible ramps to the south side of Union Street Central located opposite dropped kerb locations existing on the north side of the street, prior to the decision on the possible reopening of Union Street Central to service buses, taxis and private hire cars; and

(c)        to instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to bring back a street occupation policy by the end of 2022;

 

Market to Guild Street Streetscape

(x)           note the design concept masterplan for public realm improvements for the Market Street to Guild Street area as detailed in Appendix D and

(a)       agree to remove reference to (9) “Plaza” on Market Street;

(b)       agree to include in phase two the area at St Nicholas Street between Union Street and St Nicholas Centre; and

(c)        agree to include Correction Wynd and Hadden Street in phase two;

(xi)          instruct the Director of Resources to develop detailed design for phase one and two implementation of those improvements in consultation with key stakeholders and report results to Full Council in August 2022;

(xii)        instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to progress with the necessary traffic regulation orders to implement in the context of the phase one and two delivery and the wider traffic management plan;

(xiii)       instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services and the Chief Officer - City Growth to identify opportunities to improve the amenity of the wider market to Guild Street area in conjunction with the anticipated phase one and two delivery;

(xiv)       note the City Growth and Resources Committee instruction to develop a Full Business Case for Union Street East and Castlegate by end 2022 and ensure that business case is developed in tandem with the emerging business case for the Beach Boulevard;

 

George Street

(xv)        note the ongoing engagement exercise on the future of the George Street area and instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to investigate the potential future use of the John Lewis building as part of the George Street master planning exercise and report back to the August Council meeting;

 

City Centre Master Plan Recalibration Incorporating the Beach

(xvi)       instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to recalibrate the city centre masterplan to incorporate the Beach and George Street master planning exercises and report the results to Full Council in August 2022;

 

Joint Mortuary

(xvii)     note the £18 million capital cost contribution from the Scottish Government on behalf of the Health and Justice Directorates and refer simpliciter to the Council’s budget meeting on 7 March 2022;

 

Addendums

(xviii)        (a)    instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to discuss with the UK Government Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport and the Natural History Museum the feasibility for a Natural History Museum Aberdeen, including the University of Aberdeen and the Aberdeen Medico-Chirurgical Society in the process and report to Full Council in August 2022;

(b)    instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth, subject to the outcome of (a) to explore potential locations including Woolmanhill; and

(c) instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, subject to positive outcomes from (a) and (b) to bring forward redevelopment/improvement options for the Denburn car park and report back to a future meeting of Full Council; and

(xix)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord subject to (a), (b) and (c) above, to explore options from improved alternative direct pedestrian connectivity from the Denburn car park area onto Rosemount Viaduct;

(xx)        instruct the Chief Officer - Operations and Protective Services to ensure all works required in respect of bus priority interventions as part of the City Centre Masterplan be done at the same time as the Scottish Water Guild Street works are undertaken where practically possible;

(xxi)       to note the Scottish Government’s long-term vision for active travel in Scotland which has at its heart a strong emphasis on sustainable and people centred areas; and

(xxii)     to agree with the Scottish Government that city centres should be people focused with easy pedestrian and cycle access which meets air quality and noise limit targets.

 

On a division, there voted:-

 

For the motion  (21)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Cross, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden MSP, Macdonald, MacKenzie, Malik, Mason, Reynolds, Sellar and Wheeler.

 

For the amendment  (24)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Bell, Boulton, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar MSP, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Alex Nicoll, Audrey Nicoll MSP, Noble, Radley, Townson and Yuill.

 

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the amendment.