City co-leader Christian Allard has admitted that investing into Resident X in the hope that the trendy venue would rejuvenate the city centre was “maybe too ambitious”.
The neon-themed complex opened in December 2022, with the local authority fronting up more than £1.3 million to help operators take it off the ground.
Stretching across two floors of the council’s very own Marischal Square, it was hailed as an “Instagrammers playground” that would draw visitors to the heart of Aberdeen.
But after two turbulent years – and two changes in leadership – it closed down, with finance chiefs still unsure whether they will be able to recoup the cash they’ve lost.
And as work on the new food and drink market on The Green gathers pace, Mr Allard has now vowed not to let the Flint project follow suit.
Why did Resident X fail?
Once hoped it would become a mecca for independent traders, Resident X has had a rather tumultuous story from its rise in 2022 right up to its demise last autumn.
The 10,000 sq ft street food market opened at the modern Broad Street office block amid high expectations it would become a staple in the city centre.
It was first run by Aberdam duo David Griffiths and Michael Robertson, who also run an outlet in Shiprow.
However, they vacated the premises by the end of 2023 amid a storm of controversy and unanswered questions about a £1m council loan.
It was then taken over by Ryan Clark and Andy Eager, who ran a number of Aberdeen venues – including Croft and Cairns in Stockethill.
They vowed to do whatever they could to turn around the “failed” nightspot, potentially using it for wedding receptions in a bid to boost income.
But less than a year later, they too called it quits and handed the council their keys back, claiming it “didn’t make financial sense to continue” amid plunging footfall.
And eight months on, the unit remains bare with its future thrown into further doubt.
‘Resident X is a good example to learn from and not be too ambitious’
Looking back on the conundrums they’ve had with Resident X, Mr Allard now admits putting all of their eggs into that particular basket was perhaps “too ambitious”.
And he reckons that maybe the Broad Street complex wasn’t the right location for the venue, despite it being just across from the popular tourist spot Marischal College.
Mr Allard said: “Maybe, the Marischal Square location was too ambitious…Maybe, it could have been done with a bigger public space and a smaller building…
“And maybe, [if we had done this] we wouldn’t have been where we are now.
“So that’s a really good example to learn from, making sure that we are not too ambitious with the areas we put out for rent or sale.
“There are existing traders and shops all over the city, and we only want to add to that, not replace it.”
‘Flint market will be different’
Opposition leaders have previously warned that the £40m food hall being built on the city’s historic Green sounds very similar to what they had hoped to achieve with Resident X.
And they urged the administration to be extra careful this time round so they don’t end up in the “same mess”.
Mr Allard, however, is hopeful that the Flint market will be a success as it will have what Resident X lacked – a distinctive offering and more open space.
The food and drink complex will have 11 vendors and five retail units, as well as an events area with a corner bar and outdoor seating.
And this is exactly what Mr Allard reckons will help Flint thrive.
He said: “The market is going to focus on local produce so it’s going to be different.
“We want to have that kind of offering that is distinctive to the north-east.
“People are soon going to see the building coming together, and I think that’s going to make a massive change.
“But I’m more excited about the plaza. We need more public spaces in our city centre and having that is going to make the Green look fantastic.
“The city centre should not be about buildings; it should be about space.”
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