Organisers of the consultation into Sir Ian Wood’s £150million city square plan in Aberdeen have been urged to reveal as quickly as possible whether or not the scheme has the support of the 10,000 people who took part.
The call has been made by Aberdeen Central MP Lewis Macdonald after the economic development group conducting the vote on Sir Ian’s behalf said the results would not be known until April 13.
The publication date is two weeks beyond the funding deadline for Peacock Visual Arts to take up a £4.3million grant from the Scottish Arts Council for a new centre in Union Terrace Gardens.
The arts organisation called a temporary halt to its £13.5million scheme after the Wood Group chairman said he was willing to put up £50million towards a five-acre civic square on the site of the gardens and the Denburn dual-carriageway and railway line.
The arts council has already extended its deadline to the end of this month to allow the consultation to take place and has said it will review its position then.
Sir Ian says he will proceed only if it can be proved that the development has the support of the public. Earlier he said he feared apathy could spell the end for his plan.
Mr Macdonald has now written to project leader Dave Blackwood, of Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future, to ask if the group can say if the public has given the city square a Yes or No while the rest of the data is analysed.
He said: “Since the consultation closed, I have been contacted by a number of constituents who are concerned at the delay in announcing the outcome.
“Given the importance attached by Sir Ian Wood to support for his proposals, the key question would appear to be whether or not these proposals commanded clear support from the majority of respondents, and it is difficult to see why there should be such a delay in publishing this information.”
Chairman Tom Smith said the consultation team was working “flat out” to produce their report as quickly as possible.
“We appreciate the concern Peacock and others may have over the uncertainty of their situation, but we have to remember that the city square is a major economic development and regeneration project.”