A petition urging councillors in Aberdeen to rethink redevelopment plans for the former city council headquarters has been signed by nearly 800 people.
The protest was launched by objector Lorna McHattie, one of several members of the public who spoke in opposition to the £107million Marischal Square scheme at a public hearing last month.
The former lecturer at the Robert Gordon University school of pharmacy said she felt compelled to act to ensure that the process followed by the local authority is fully scrutinised.
Yesterday, the 57-year-old said she was pleased with the response to the petition over the past week.
She said: “It is no surprise that most people are saying the same thing.
“This is a bad design – overpowering and too big and not in keeping with the area. The latter comment being the most frequently used term.
“Some comment on their perception that the council will not listen, with some reference to other developments.”
Mrs McHattie, of Louisville Avenue, suggested that local decisions may have been “rushed through” with the public’s attention focussed on the referendum.
Councillors on the planning development management committee are due to vote on the office, hotel and retail proposal from Muse Developments Ltd on September 25.
An updated report, compiled by officers from the authority after the one-day hearing, will be presented to councillors at that meeting.
A final decision is not likely to be taken until a meeting of the full council on October 8, however.
City council bosses have insisted that any decision by elected members cannot be pre-empted.
Finance convener Willie Young said that would be “unfair”. He added: “Councillors will discuss the application at the meeting, when they will hear how our officers propose to deal with it.”
Muse was selected as the authority’s preferred bidder for the site in May last year, and the developer embarked upon a lengthy period of public consultation before tabling detailed plans.
The petition, titled – “Reject planning permission for the proposed plans for the Marischal Square development” is online at www.change.org.