A bar manager has hailed pedestrianisation as the best way to bring cafe culture to the city centre.
Nick Gordon, who runs the cocktail bar Orchid, has backed proposals by Aberdeen City Council to restrict traffic on Langstane Place, Justice Mill Lane and Windmill Brae as part of the city centre masterplan.
Under the proposals, vehicles would be banned from the three routes during the evening to make the area safer for pedestrians, and to boost income for local businesses.
Mr Gordon explained that his bar loses out during the summer, as revellers head to beer gardens to enjoy the sunshine rather than the “cosy” interior of Orchid.
He said: “There are several different businesses just on this section of the street, including the Boozy Cow, the Bauhaus Hotel, Café Harmony and Soul, so we’ve got a good mix of hotels, bars and cafes, and being able to serve food and drink outside would help all of us massively.
“We do well in the winter because the bar is dark and cosy, but summer is sometimes difficult for us because when it’s sunnier, people will go to the beer gardens to enjoy the weather.
“We don’t have anything approaching outside seating, but if we had the whole of the street during the evening there would be loads of space for people to come and enjoy a drink outdoors while the summer sun is still in the sky.
“Cafe culture is definitely something that would boost the standing of Aberdeen as a modern city.”
Marie Boulton, the local authority’s city centre spokeswoman and convener of the licensing committee, said pedestrianisation could put Aberdeen on the same stage as many major European cities.
She said: : “It’s all about changing how Aberdeen operates, and giving people the opportunity to make game changers for their businesses.
“We’ve looked at other cities where it has been working well, including cities with an even colder climate than Aberdeen, where people enjoy sitting outside.
“If you look at places like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and cities in Sweden, they all have a cafe culture, people get used to sitting outside with a jacket, and it creates a lovely, relaxed atmosphere that we would love to bring to Aberdeen.”
