Council chiefs must reveal the “true cost” of the ambitious multi-million pound redevelopment of Aberdeen’s art gallery, a city MSP has demanded.
The massive redevelopment, which includes the likes of a new copper-clad roof, new exhibition space and a glass-fronted rooftop space, had been initially costed at £30 million.
But Aberdeen Central MSP Kevin Stewart said following more than a year of delays on the work to the A-listed, 1884-built building costs were likely to have crept up.
Charity donates six-figure sum to Aberdeen Art Gallery revamp
In a response to a Freedom of Information request by the Press and Journal, the council said they could not provide the current estimated cost of the project due to “commercial sensitivity”.
The response read: “This is because we are in discussion with the contractor to determine and finalise construction costs and we feel that release of our estimated cost at this time will detrimentally affect our ability to get best value in contract negotiations.”
Mr Stewart has now written to council chief executive Angela Scott saying the authority has a “duty to disclose” the final costs.
He said: “Aberdonians were told it would cost £30 million and now we are told the cost can’t be disclosed. At the end of the day, this is public money and folk expect transparency about how their money is spent.
“It is high time the council gets its act together and reveals the true cost of the Aberdeen Art Gallery refurbishment.”
Midstocket and Rosemount councillor Bill Cormie said when the designs were revealed in 2012 that the structure looked “like a tattie shed in the Howe of Mearns.”
Yesterday he said his opinion had not changed.
But council co-leader Douglas Lumsden said: “The art gallery redevelopment project is part of the huge capital program helping to reshape the tourist and cultural offering of the city.
“As with all large capital projects there are fluctuation around final costs however all spend to date has been approved by either the council at its budget or by the cross-party city growth committee which has a majority of SNP councillors on it.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “We can confirm the chief executive has received a letter from Mr Stewart, and she will respond to him in due course.”
The art gallery project has been hailed by council leaders as “transformative” and a key plank of their cultural strategy to attract more visitors to the city while also boosting facilities for locals.
But the project, which began in 2015 after designs were first unveiled in 2012, has suffered major delays.
In September council chiefs announced the completion date for the project had been put back by at least a year- with a new completion date announced as late 2018 or early 2019.
The massive £30 million development is being funded through a unique formula where £10 million is put in by the local authority, £10 million by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the further £10 million to be raised through a fundraising campaign.
However just £3.7 million has been raised since the campaign began in 2015.
To try and close the shortfall a staff raffle was held in Marischal College in November.
Leading councillors have previously pledged that the fundraising would continue until all the funds were secured- but that the council would cover any shortfall in the interim.
Due to a lack of space to store the authority’s priceless art collection while the refurbishment took place council chiefs ploughed £6.5 million into a “treasure hub” for storage.
