They are the scourge of Aberdeen city centre, infamous for stealing snacks as they spark terror from above on a daily basis.
And now, the council is having to take action to stop gulls making a mess of “the jewel in the city’s cultural crown”.
The A-listed Aberdeen Art Gallery, which reopened in November 2019 following an extensive £34.6 million revamp, has been crowned one of Scotland’s best buildings.
But gulls are causing damage to the cherished venue by roosting in the roof, and spattering windows with droppings on a regular basis.
Documents outlining the predicament reveal the mess the feathered philistines are leaving behind.
Aberdeen Art Gallery seagulls are making a mess of landmark features
Papers prepared by Hoskins Architects say the main atrium skylight, a “key” part of the redesign, has been subjected to “wide-scale gull fouling” and become a “roosting location”.
The firm says: “Should this continue, issues around noise, fouling and feeding debris will increase and could lead to further pest issues.
“The fouling on the glazing is highly visible from within the gallery and impacts negatively on the spaces.”
They also claim the bird poo could also lead to “lead to corrosion and damage of the building fabric”.
This could lead to “increased maintenance costs” and even a “reduction in the lifespan of building materials”.
Have we thought about lasers, or hawks?
Some suggested solutions included firing lasers at the gulls – but they were deemed “not suitable for the city centre, in case the laser points at the general public”.
Using hawks to frighten away the birds was similarly ruled out.
In July 2019, electrical tape was stuck around the roof to keep the gulls at bay.
But that still didn’t stop them from flying over and leaving the skylight and rooflights looking like a Jackson Pollock painting.
Two months later, council bosses took the more radical step of suspending a net from scaffolding over the atrium.
That idea worked, and the scaffolding remains in place.
But the rooflights continue to suffer a regular barrage of excrement and it is still possible for the gulls to roost on the roof.
So what now for the Aberdeen Art Gallery seagulls?
Architects say it is now clear the “only solution” is to string up netting over the Schoolhill building.
Scroll back and forth to see the difference –
Netting can sometimes come with its own problems though.
In March, firefighters were called to free a gull which had become entangled in deterrent nets behind Aberdeen Sheriff Court.
The local authority has proudly declared the refurbished art gallery as “the jewel in Aberdeen’s cultural crown”.
It was named one of five “museums of the year” in 2020.
And it is currently in the running to be named as Scotland’s Best Building, with the winner being announced at the end of this month.
You can see the plans for yourself here.
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