Adrian Watson has no illusions he can please all the people all the time.
As the chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, he’s fully aware that any suggestion raised about the city seems to spark an immediate negative response.
Yet, as somebody who spent 30 years in the police service, the last seven of them as Commander for Aberdeen City, Mr Watson never imagined he was embarking on a peaceful route to retirement when he was appointed to the CEO’s role in 2016.
On the contrary, he told me: “Aberdeen is almost as famous for its ‘Abermoaners’ as it is for its granite. But then every city will tell you the same thing.
“Is it dispiriting knowing that every positive plan, every new project, every innovative proposal is met with a howl of ‘that’s rubbish’ – or other earthier descriptions – from some quarters? Of course it is.
Who doesn’t want Aberdeen success?
“But you must remember that noise is coming from a tiny minority – mostly the same people – and the vast majority welcome vision and innovation to better Aberdeen.
“There is, actually, a positive side to the naysayers. They obviously care passionately about Aberdeen, otherwise they wouldn’t bother making any comments at all.”
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This redoubtable individual doesn’t get depressed about the state of most city centres across Britain, with Aberdeen’s Union Street a perenennial source of distress.
When residents aren’t complaining about how the once-refulgent thoroughfare is now packed with bookies shops, vaping outlets and empty premises, there are scare stories about feral kids laying waste to Union Terrace Gardens.
More in store in 2024
If it’s repeated too often, this sort of shock-horror miasma of misery can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy, whereby word spreads that the city has passed beyond redemption. But Mr Watson doesn’t believe that for an instant.
And, befitting his ability to focus on advantage over adversity, he made a bold prediction which should rally the troops as we approach the New Year.
He said: “I truly believe the coming year is going to be pivotal for Aberdeen and we will look back on 2024 as the year everything changed for the Granite City for the better.
“We are starting to see that with figures showing that city centre footfall is continuing to rise. This means more people are getting into the heart of Aberdeen and discovering – or rediscovering in the wake of the pandemic – just how much it has to offer.
The will of the people counts
“That resurgence is going to continue. There is almost a tangible feeling that the people of Aberdeen want to see their city improve and live up to the potential it truly has.
“With the emergence of Our Union Street – a community-led project which Aberdeen Inspired helped to bring into being – you can see the will of the people is for positive change. That is a major force to be harnessed and unleashed for everyone’s benefit.
“Positive change is also taking traction in the fabric of the city centre. Look at the truly transformational upgrade to Union Terrace Gardens, creating a near-perfect people and community space in the heart of Aberdeen. It enhances earlier improvements, such as the award-winning revamps of both Aberdeen Art Gallery and the Music Hall.
“Adding to that uptick in the city centre regeneration will be the new Aberdeen Market with spades going into the ground in the first quarter of 2024. We also have new owners at the Trinity Centre and new businesses and shops choosing to open on Union Street.
“Earlier this month came the news that some 200 civil servants working with the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will be relocating to Aberdeen.
“Hopefully, they will be based in the city centre, adding even more of a boost for our shops and businesses.”
Hundreds of jobs moving to Aberdeen as UK Government plans new energy hub
‘Every reason to feel positive’
“We can add into the mix the great festivals and events lined up for next year by so many different organisations. We are already preparing the ground for the return of Aberdeen Restaurant Week, getting ready to welcome world-class street artists for Nuart – and we are exploring the possibility of adding even more exciting events.
“Of course, in the background will be preparations for the arrival of the Tall Ships in July 2025, an event I have long courted to bring back to Aberdeen.
Given all of that, there is every reason for people to feel positive about what is in store for Aberdeen in 2024 and beyond.”
Ahoy Aberdeen! Dates announced for 2025 Tall Ships visit to Granite City
Cynics might react that Mr Watson’s job is accentuating the positive, but although we should always be cautious about forecasting the future, there genuinely seems to be a fresh readiness and resolve to stop talking and knuckle down to hard work.
Covid may not have vanished, and shoppers might continue to book their goods through Amazon and other outlets, but Aberdeen has plenty of other attractions and a workforce who are gradually spreading their wings and returning to offices en masse.
He told the Press & Journal: “There is no doubt that, like every other town and city in the country, Aberdeen has been rocked back on its heels by the one-two of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. But the Granite City is made of stern stuff and has weathered many a storm in its history and it is doing so now.
Always think city centre first
“There were countless examples of cutting-edge entrepreneurship at the height of Covid across all sectors as businesses found innovative ways to stay afloat and to look after as many of their staff as possible.
“We are now seeing a gradual return of people to the office across different sectors and this is something Aberdeen Inspired actively encourages. What benefits the city centre and its future success is, without question, people working and living here.
“They are the essential audience our city centre and its businesses need to thrive. We also need the public, private and third sectors to think ‘city centre first’ at every turn.
Mr Watson recognises that making Aberdeen a thriving city isn’t down to any one organisation, group, or individual. He deployed the analogy of planning for the future as “being a rope, one that’s made up of many different strands,” but one where everybody has to be pulling in the same direction to prosper and progress.
He added: “Our Union Street is a good example of that. It is an initiative that has brought people together from all walks of life with the avowed aim of making Union Street better. It is one of my main hopes for the coming year that this community-led organisation can fill the vacant units while harnessing the public’s desire to do their bit for our beloved city centre.
Have faith in the city
“I also hope people embrace the drive to ‘buy local’ – Aberdeen Inspired is closely involved with the Scotland Loves Local campaign – to support our local businesses.
“As part of that, Aberdeen Inspired offers the Aberdeen Gift Card, the best of its kind in the country, that helps to support hundreds of local businesses signed up to it. It’s an ideal way of boosting the ‘bricks and mortar’ businesses so vital to our city centre.
“All in all, it is time to stop talking about having hope in the future and start having faith in it – and ourselves.”
It’s a big, brash declaration of intent. And, at this time of year, why shouldn’t Adrian Watson pull a cracker out of his hat?
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Five questions for Adrian
What book are you reading? Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before by Dr Julie Smith – I enjoy challenging self-development books.
Who’s your hero/heroine? Dutch footballing legend Johan Cruyff.
Do you speak any foreign languages? Don’t laugh but I was encouraged to take Latin at secondary school. It has its upsides. I like to think I can string a sentence in French and Italian, although a native speaker of either may disagree.
What’s your favourite music/band? Morrissey and The Smiths.
What’s your most treasured possession? My Panini 1978 World Cup sticker album.
