The wrong road

Given the financial catastrophe that is the Edinburgh trams project, Scotland’s municipal councils should have serious reservations about getting involved in high-cost, big-ticket civil projects which could potentially expose them to the same risks.

Alas, no. Here in Aberdeen, many outside the council are holding their heads in horror at the dogged way in which the majority of our councillors are progressing the development of Union Terrace Gardens (the City Garden Project) in spite of public protest against the destruction of the much-loved Victorian park.

Aberdeen Council is £562 million in debt and has introduced massive cuts in expenditure to the detriment of local services and amenities.

Yet councillors are actively pursuing tax incremental funding (TIF) to help pay for the scheme. This would involve the council underwriting a potential £70m loan from the Scottish Futures Trust. The idea is that a big city square would engender new and increased business rates in the city centre to help pay off the loan, a business model that is clearly speculative in nature.

Union Terrace Gardens would provide a difficult site for development, located as it is in the Denburn Valley and with very limited access for construction traffic on the north side. The potential for the project to over-run costs is considerable.

Neil Baxter, secretary and treasurer of the RIAS, the Scottish architects’ body, recently said the project was “silly” and lacked sufficient funds for its completion. The Scottish Futures Trust has a moral obligation to turn down the city garden TIF application from Aberdeen Council as irresponsible. The public do not want the scheme and our council can’t afford it.

Mike Shepherd

Forbesfield Road

Aberdeen