arts centre was major stumbling block
Hostile response to a handsome offer
Published: 06/03/2010
Businessman Sir Ian Wood could scarcely have imagined the furore he would cause when he revealed his ambitious plans to turn Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens into a new, street-level, civic square. Sir Ian had committed £50million of his personal fortune towards the estimated cost of the project, believing that it would inject new life into the city centre and improve access to the neglected and little-used gardens.
Now, with the formal consultation period officially at a close, it appears that he will be left with little option but to walk away from a scheme which captured the imagination of most of the region’s business community, but alienated large sections of city traditionalists.
The fact that Peacock Visual Arts had already won planning permission for a new arts centre in the gardens would appear to have been the major stumbling block, despite assurances that the centre would be incorporated into the final design for the square.
Now, several months after first mooting the plan, Sir Ian must be wondering whether it was worth the effort. His motives have been questioned, despite assurances from the outset that he wanted no lasting acknowledgement of his financial contribution, and he and the leading figures in the Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future group have been subjected to personal abuse.
Some have twisted and deliberately misrepresented aspects of the scheme to present it as a concrete eyesore with a shopping mall at its heart. Others have come up with their own suggestions on how Sir Ian’s £50million should be used, completely overlooking the fact that it is for him to decide where he spends his money.
All in all, a sad end to an ambitious plan which would have breathed new life into Aberdeen city centre. The real tragedy, however, is that by resisting the Union Terrace Gardens project to protect the Peacock plan, the likelihood is that the city will end up with neither.