Norman Esslemont: Bus gates can be beaten if we fight together

We’re going back to court – and this time, we’re going all the way.

For nearly two years, traders and residents across Aberdeen have been forced to live with the damaging consequences of the so-called “bus priority” scheme – a system that has choked off trade, punished motorists, and turned large parts of our once-bustling city centre into a ghost town.

I’ve walked Union Street almost every day of my adult life.

I’ve run businesses here, hired local people, and helped serve generations of Aberdonians.

‘I have never seen it like this’

I’ve seen it thrive – and I’ve seen it struggle. But I have never seen it like this.

This street was once the beating heart of our city. Now, it’s on life support.

And for what? For a half-baked traffic experiment that was never properly consulted on and never fairly assessed.

The people of Aberdeen didn’t ask for this. We weren’t given a vote.

Norman Esslemont at the bus gates on Market Street. Image: Kenny Elrick/DC Thomson

And yet we’ve all been made to pay the price – quite literally – as footfall dried up and thousands of unsuspecting drivers were slapped with fines.

But now, after months of legal preparation, our day in court is coming.

We’ve secured a procedural hearing for June, with the full appeal likely to follow in the autumn.

And thanks to the strength of our legal team – led by the brilliant Alasdair Sutherland, of Burness Paull – we’re more confident than ever that we will prevail.

Mr Sutherland has been hired by Norman Esslemont to fight the bus gates in court. Image: Burness Paul

But we can’t do it alone. That’s why I’m asking today for your help to raise a fresh £25,000 to take this legal battle across the finish line.

Why is this battle so important?

This is no longer just about bus gates. It’s about accountability. It’s about transparency.

And it’s about standing up to a council that has, time and again, refused to listen, even when the Common Sense Compromise presented a chance to change route.

Our case is built on solid ground. Mr Sutherland has already dismantled Highland Council’s flawed plans for Academy Street in Inverness.

Now he’s turning his attention to Aberdeen – and his legal assessment is clear: the council’s decision to make the bus gates permanent was, in his view, legally flawed on multiple grounds.

The bus gates on Bridge Street would be ripped out if Norman Esslemont wins in court. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson

We’ve seen internal emails showing council officials lobbying bus firms for glowing reviews to justify a decision they had already made. That’s not consultation — that’s spin.

We’ve seen the council admit they pushed the scheme through to avoid repaying funding. But financial fear is not a legally valid reason to lock down a city centre and crush its economy.

‘The entire scheme could be ripped out’

And crucially, if the court agrees that the council got it wrong – on any of these points – the entire scheme could be struck down. Gone. Ripped out. Reset.

That also means every driver fined since January 2025 could be entitled to a full refund.

This is not a hypothetical. This is a real, credible, and winnable legal case – one that could reshape Aberdeen’s future for the better.

Norman backed the P&J’s Common Sense Compromise campaign. Image: Isaac Buchan/DC Thomson

The last time we launched a crowdfunder, the public raised more than £35,000 in just weeks.

That incredible show of belief and defiance allowed us to commission expert legal advice and force the council to finally answer to someone other than themselves.

Now, we need one last push.

Norman Esslemont: ‘Bus gates failed experiment needs to end’

The council will try to hide behind legal jargon. They’ll try to paint this as a noisy few making trouble. But this fight is so much bigger than that.

It’s about every small business owner who’s watched their takings collapse. Every pensioner confused by poor signage. Every motorist stung with a £50 fine for a turn they’d been making for decades.

Aberdeen bus gate on Market Street, to illustrate a piece on the upcoming court case over the city centre traffic system. — Aberdeen City Council will have to defend the controversial traffic restriction in the Court of Session. Image: Kami Thomson/DC Thomson

Do you think the traders will win the court fight? Let us know in our comments section below

It’s about protecting the soul of our city centre before it’s too late.

We believe the court will listen. We believe the case is strong. And we believe that, with your help, we can strike this failed experiment from the record, and rebuild a city centre that’s fairer, busier, and open to all.

This is our moment. Let’s take it.

Please visit our Crowdjustice page and give what you can, share our message, and help us finish what we started.

‘Unaccountable’ lawyers would only show councillors secret bus gate legal advice ‘on a distant screen that kept cutting out’