Tycoon in appeal to back City Garden

OIL tycoon Sir Ian Wood has made an 11th-hour appeal to the public to back his controversial plans for the transformation of Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens.

Scotland’s second richest man insisted his dream of placing a futuristic City Garden at the heart of a revitalised city centre was not a “vanity project”.

He said: “I greatly regret that this has become such a divisive issue. This is not about big business trying to control Aberdeen’s future. The business supporters genuinely care about Aberdeen’s future. They know that something needs to happen in the city centre to help them attract the talent they need to grow.”

Sir Ian, head of energy giant Wood Group, has pledged £50m to kick-start the £140m plans to make the “Granite Web” design by New York architects Diller, Scofidio and Renfro a reality.