Webcam shows former Aberdeen council HQ demolition

THE citizens of Aberdeen are being given the chance to watch one of the city’s most notorious eyesores - Aberdeen City Council’s former headquarters at St Nicholas House - being razed to the ground on a special webcam.

The 14-storey tower block, built in 1968, has lain empty since last year when the council moved to its new headquarters across the road in Broad Street to the refurbished Marischal College.

The city council today announced that two new webcams, showing views of central Aberdeen, have been launched on the local authority’s website.

A council spokeswoman explained: “The first shows a view from the Town House over Broad Street towards Upperkirkgate. Through this webcam viewers can watch the ongoing demolition of the council’s former headquarters at St Nicholas House. Once the site has been cleared, the live feed will show the redevelopment of the site.

“The second webcam shows the view up Union Street from the Town House and replaces a camera which ceased working some time ago.”

Ian Watt, the council’s e-Government manager, said: “Our webcams have proven hugely popular with citizens, ex-pats and oil workers returning from offshore, since we launched the first one in 2001.

“People use them to judge the city centre weather in winter, and expats like to see old familiar views of Aberdeen.

“Our oldest camera, which shows the Castlegate, has been running continuously for 12 years. When its partner, with a view of Union Street, was retired we had more feedback than on any other single website issue. “We’re delighted to have replaced it and to have introduced a new one showing the improvements being made to the Broad Street area.”

He added: “We’re grabbing daily images and will compile that into a time-lapse movie showing the demolition of St Nicholas House.”

Manchester-based Muse Developments, one of Britain’s leading commercial and urban regeneration companies, has been named as the preferred bidder to transform the site into a new and vibrant civic square in the heart of the Granite City.

The prime site is to be redeveloped into a series of linked buildings, up to ten storeys high, offering a mix of hotel, offices, restaurants and retail space.

• The webcams can be viewed at www.aberdeencity.gov.uk/xwc_Webcam.asp