Councillors have voted to roll out a £500,000 action plan to help fill scores of empty Aberdeen shops.
The move comes amid encouraging figures showing city centre footfall, with statistics for September the highest since the pandemic at 2 million.
Under the scheme, backed at a crunch council meeting today, £500,000 will be shared with businesses looking to keep that momentum going by doing up vacant business units.
The money will be handed out on the condition that confirmed occupants are lined up to move in.
But the decision came after calls to double the money was quashed.
Union Street empty units in ‘desperate’ need of attention
Leader of the Conservative opposition group, Ryan Houghton, said the fate of Union Street was a priority worthy of the extra cash.
He said: “That half a million already being discussed could be used to leverage back £2m [in lost business rates].
“By working with private partners, and making that sum £1m then we would get £4m back.
“That could lead to significant change, starting from £1m creates that extra headroom.”
He was backed by Conservative colleague Michael Kusznir, who said extra help is “desperately needed”.
Accusations opposition unaware of how broke the council really is
The SNP’s council co-leader, Alex Nicoll, suggested Mr Houghton had not read reports on the authority’s precarious finances as he dismissed the idea.
His Tory opponent, the council’s former finance convener, said he was “disappointed” to hear the “disparaging remark”.
Mr Nicoll went on to argue that there will be a “number” of initiatives coming forward to help Union Street bounce back, urging his colleagues to keep the rescue package limited to £500,000.
That stance was backed by 34 votes to just nine.
Good news for city centre at long last
Labour councillor Sandra Macdonald, freshly ousted as leader, welcomed the news of resurgent footfall.
A report that went before councillors said: “While not yet reaching pre-pandemic levels, footfall recovery has been relatively stronger in Aberdeen compared to other places.
“The positive impact of increased footfall is evident in increasing offline sales (sales made in person) for operating businesses in Aberdeen city centre.
“Against a baseline of average in-person sales from 2019, in-person sales have increased from 52% in July 2020; to 74% in July 2021; and 92% in July 2022.”
The papers praised projects such as the Tour of Britain and Spectra for bringing in an estimated combined boost of 250,000 visitors.
As of September 2022, there were 111 units on the Granite Mile receiving empty property relief – worth £1.1 million in lost business rates for council coffers.
