The £25.7 million regeneration of Union Terrace Gardens (UTG) is back on track after lockdown disruption and changes to the works.
A building warrant has been approved for those small amendments, ensuring the ambitious project meets “building standard requirements.”
The long-awaited restoration – part of Aberdeen City Council’s city centre masterplan – will introduce elevated walkways, new pavilions, events space, play facilities and extensive planting to increase biodiversity within the Victorian park.
As with many projects across the north-east, contractors on the UTG works were forced to down tools as lockdown restrictions were imposed.
In June, city council co-leader Douglas Lumsden warned that not only would the cost of that project undoubtedly rise, the revamp of Provost Skene’s House and new affordable housing in the area would also be affected.
Work has now re-started in earnest, however, with Marie Boulton, the city council’s culture and spokeswoman, saying elements of the design needed to be assessed to ensure they met “building standards requirements”.
She said: “It is not uncommon to see various warrant submissions for large scale projects with multiple technical elements, such as the transformation of Union Terrace Gardens, all of which must meet building standards regulations.
“This is a project in which design overlaps with construction, so a warrant submission at this stage makes sense.”
The sunken gardens opened to the public in 1879 and are surrounded by landmarks including His Majesty’s Theatre and St Mark’s Church.
The revamp of the site has been mooted since 1984 and has long since been a point of contention for city politicians.
Balfour Beatty was chosen last year to carry out the regeneration after taking part in a competitive tendering process.
