Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Work starts on Aberdeen city centre council flats – but could Raac crisis hamper progress?

The 206 Union Street building is surrounded in scaffolding as the major work gets under way.

The new council flats in the heart of Union Street.
The new council flats in the heart of Union Street. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

Multi-million-pound efforts to create dozens of modern council flats on Union Street in Aberdeen are under way.

The city centre building has been surrounded in scaffolding as constriction crews begin revamping the dilapidated block next to the Music Hall.

It’s expected the work on 206 Union Street could be complete by the end of the year.

And leaders hope that having more people living on the Granite Mile will deliver a major economic boost.

But Aberdeen City Council’s housing budget is currently under threat as officials battle to rehome hundreds of Torry residents amid an ongoing Raac crisis.

And, depending on how that goes, it could be some time before people are able to move in…

The Union Street council flats are located over a noodle bar, dessert parlour and Co-op. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

Why is Aberdeen City Council creating new flats on Union Street?

The space was formerly occupied by a YMCA building, but it was demolished in 1965 to make way for this block.

Aberdeen City Council formed the plans to breathe new life into the water-damaged flats in order to offer “much-needed” affordable housing.

Plans for the building have been in the works for some time. Image: Chris Sumner/DC Thomson

Hot water tanks and electric radiators are all to be replaced with modern models, and all windows will be triple glazed.

And getting more people to live on Union Street is part of the council’s ambitious city centre masterplan.

What is the latest on the plans?

At a recent meeting, councillors learned that a deal had been struck for Glasgow-based Ogilvie construction to act as principal contractor on the scheme.

External upgrades are now under way.

The project will continue for some time. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

This will include installing a new roof, windows, fabric repairs and ensuring all 28 one-bedroom social apartments are up to scratch.

Documents say the project has a gross budget of £3.7m.

How long will it take?

Officials have warned that further work will depend on how much money is available.

Documents state: “The extent of internal works that will be carried out will be dependent on the budget constraints as works progress.

“The initial appointment covers the external works only including the roof and windows.”

The block became flats in the 1990s, but those properties are no longer fit for purpose. Image: Ben Hendry/DC Thomson

What does this have to do with Torry Raac crisis?

During a recent meeting, it was specified that the cost of the Raac crisis could have a knock-on effect across the housing department.

Chief officer John Wilson said “the honest answer was he didn’t know” when asked about this prospect.

Events in Torry could impact council housing projects across Aberdeen. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Would you like to live on Aberdeen’s Union Street? Let us know in our comments section below


He explained that the cost of dealing with the Raac situation will depend on how the council opts to deal with the affected homes in Torry.

Just days ago, residents learned that decisions were yet to be made on whether to repair or demolish them.

And the unfolding drama has already impacted on council house spending – as officials confirmed the home improvements budget would be raided to cover relocation costs.

Dell Henrickson wants to make sure passersby in Aberdeen know about the Union Street council flats. Image: Heather Fowlie/DC Thomson

Meanwhile, the SNP’s Dell Henrickson suggested the council could “put something on the scaffolding to tell people what’s going on” at 206 Union Street.

He said the project was a “good news story”.

Officers pledged to look into the idea.

Conversation