Business leaders have come to the defence of the forthcoming consultation on plans for a £140million civic square on the site of Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen.
The public-private partnership behind the scheme, Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (Acsef), was criticised yesterday after it announced a steering group had been set up to arrange talks with the public next month on its proposal to raise the site to ground level and cover over the Denburn dual carriageway.
One body represented on the steering group, Peacock Visual Arts, already has planning permission and £9.5million of public funding for an arts centre in the gardens.
It said it had signed up only because it understood the public would have a chance to examine all options for the site, including its own.
Yesterday, the forum issued a statement saying: “This consultation will ensure that people understand the proposals and can put forward their opinions on what they would like the space to incorporate.
“It will also give them the opportunity to voice their views on the project, either for or against.”
Forum chairman Tom Smith said: “The purpose of the consultation on this project is to find out if the people of Aberdeen city and shire want to transform our city centre in this way and, if they do, what do they want to see in the new civic space.
“If they do not want it and would prefer to do nothing or go with the Peacock scheme, which has planning permission, then we will not proceed. It is as simple as that.”
John Michie, Aberdeen City Centre Partnership chairman and another steering group member, said the project, which has already attracted a pledge of £50million from Sir Ian Wood, had the potential to be as important to the city’s next 100 years as the creation of the harbour and the construction of Union Street some 200 years ago.
“Both were led by inspired and far-sighted leaders in the community and probably encountered some opposition at the time,” he said.
The forum has said it would be willing to incorporate a new arts centre into its scheme but Peacock says much of the funding it has secured is time-dependent and project-specific to the original scheme.
Peacock director Lindsay Gordon said the group had been inundated with comments from Aberdonians concerned about the fate of the arts organisation and the loss of the historic gardens.