One of Scotland’s top businessmen believes a plan to transform Union Terrace Gardens in Aberdeen is on a par with Donald Trump’s multimillion-pound golf development in terms of its importance for the north-east.
Robert Cook, chief executive of the Malmaison and Hotel du Vin group, also revealed in an exclusive interview with the Press and Journal that the group is considering opening a Hotel du Vin in Aberdeen.
Mr Cook expressed his support for the planned £140million civic square at Union Terrace Gardens and said his confidence in Aberdeen had encouraged him to consider opening a new hotel.
He said Malmaison Aberdeen, in Queen’s Road, was one of his group’s best-performing hotels and he announced yesterday that it had won hotel of the year in the in-house awards.
Peterhead-born Mr Cook said the people of Aberdeen deserved the prestige of the “iconic gardens development”, which is being led by Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future with a £50million pledge from Sir Ian Wood. The plan is to raise the gardens to street level and cover the Denburn dual carriageway and railway line.
“I put the Trump development and the city square plans in the same box,” said Mr Cook. “These are two great things for Aberdeen. I don’t think there is anywhere else in the UK with two of these kinds of developments going on at the moment.”
Neither does he believe funding will be hard to find. “Sir Ian Wood has shown exceptional vision and generosity. I think investment in this could be oversubscribed.”
His group would want to be involved, although he sidestepped any question of direct investment. “We would want to contribute to any cultural development or similar development of this ilk in some way or another.”
He said the plan offered commercial, cultural and tourism benefits and compared it with successful regeneration projects in Newcastle’s Quayside and Piccadilly in Manchester.
Union Terrace Gardens, at the moment, was “dead and wasted space” — and Union Street had “lost its way”.
Mr Cook said: “This is our Edinburgh Castle, our equivalent to Glasgow’s George Square or London’s Trafalgar Square. This will bring in money. This is another reason to come to Aberdeen. Strategically it is in a great location. It is the missing hub of the spokes of the wheel.”
Mr Cook urged people to “grab the opportunity with both hands” when the plans go to consultation next week, saying Aberdonians should be proud of their city and the civic square would be the “icing on the cake”. “Aberdeen has got to have huge belief in itself,” he said. “It deserves to have huge belief in itself.”