Autumn deadline is set for city garden project

THE project management board, charged with driving forward plans for the transformation of Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens, have set a target date of autumn this year to finalise detailed design plans for the £140 million scheme.

The board met for the first time yesterday since the proposals for the futuristic “Granite Web” design secured the majority vote in a public referendum on the future of the Victorian gardens site.

A spokeswoman for the project management board said the aim was to produce detailed designs by autumn before going out to public consultation. The board is also aiming to submit plans for the transformational scheme early next year with a target for construction to begin in 2015 and a completion date of the summer of 2017.

She said: “There is a democratic mandate to drive this transformational project forward. But we are fully aware that there are many people who remain to be convinced about the design itself, the funding and the economic impact.

“It is now up to Aberdeen City Garden Trust, the council and the design team to work with all stakeholders in the run-up to the detailed design to clearly communicate the benefits, address the concerns and heal the rifts that have emerged.”