Sir Ian Wood refuses to compromise over Aberdeen gardens plans

OIL tycoon Sir Ian Wood has flatly rejected any move towards a compromise deal to end the row over his plans for the transformation of Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens.

And he has warned the leader of the Labour-led coalition on the city council not to become a “dog in the manger” should the Labour group fail in its bid to scrap the project at a crucial meeting of the full council on 22 August.

Sir Ian, the billionaire head of the Wood Group, has pledged £50 million of his personal fortune towards the £140m plans to turn Aberdeen’s Victorian gardens into a futuristic civic square in the heart of the city. He has written to Aberdeen City Council leader Barney Crockett, setting out the Wood Family Trust’s’ views on what he describes as “an extraordinarily important decision for the 
future of our city.”

In his letter Sir Ian states: “Clearly, if the council votes no, the Wood Family Trust will have no choice but to withdraw its financial offer.”

Sir Ian warns that, should Labour lose the vote, he would seek a “binding commitment” from the administration that it would continue to support the scheme through the planning process. He states: “This will be an essential condition for ongoing funding.”