Council chiefs are being urged to build safety barriers over an iconic Aberdeen bridge as a “priority” ahead of a multi-million-pound planned revamp.
Ambitious £22 million plans for the city’s Union Terrace Gardens are currently out to tender, with the local authority seeking a contractor to carry out the work.
As part of the designs, there are plans to install an eight foot high safety barrier along the length of Union Terrace Bridge.
There have been a number of incidences of people falling to their deaths from the bridge over the years and it is currently blocked off with temporary metal fencing.
LDA design, the firm behind London’s Olympic Park, unveiled their designs for the park – which include water features, a golden “halo” suspended above the central grass area, shops and cafes in the arches and community gardens along the rail tracks – in 2016 to widespread approval.
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But now an opposition councillor has called for the barrier element to be brought forward ahead of the work on the rest of the garden plan.
Midstocket and Rosemount SNP councillor Bill Cormie has long called for safety measures to be improved.
Last night he said: “It is incredibly important that we get clarity on the timescale for a safety barrier on Union Bridge, given the ongoing delays to Union Terrace Gardens.
“We know that a barrier has the potential to save lives and for that reason alone it should be erected as soon as possible.
“Councillors of various parties have pushed for this for years and we should not allow it be delayed any longer. This needs to become a priority in its own right.”
But council masterplan spokeswoman Marie Boulton warned there could be further delays if that was to happen.
She said: “It’s always been the case that the first part of the development would be the bridge barrier.
“Frankly there would be no point putting that element out for contract separately as it could potentially just delay that more.”
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