A potential business site in Aberdeen could become a car park as a result of developers showing no interest in the area.
City firm Fleet Investments Ltd have applied to the council for permission to transform a vacant piece of land on Fairburn Terrace, near Dyce train station, into a place for commuters to park.
The company has asked for temporary permission of five years for the new use after struggling to find any other business which wanted to build anything else.
In documents submitted to the council, Fleet Investments Ltd’s agent Ken Mathieson Architectural Design Ltd wrote: “The applicant seeks a temporary permission of five years, in recognition that the site has been marketed for business use, for two to three years, with no interest and until the economic market improves, it is better to see the site in use, than lie vacant.
“Further, the proposed use can be quickly and economically removed should at any time the market conditions improve and a built use be required.”
Aberdeen has been hit hard by the oil and gas downturn leading to large amounts of empty office and industrial space in the city.
City centre developments such as Marischal Square and The Capitol have also drawn firms away from the suburbs and into the centre of town.
A rise in business rates has also been widely blamed, with companies looking for smaller and more efficient office space.
In 2017, a developer demolished a modern office block in Aberdeen – blaming a combination of lack of interest from tenants and business rate rises.
Malcolm Allan flattened the three-storey complex in Dyce and Colin Wood, a technical manager at the firm, said he feared others may follow suit.
Mr Wood added the “very minor rates relief” for the office block resulted in total costs of nearly £3,000 per week for the empty building.
But last night Dyce, Bucksburn and Danestone councillor Barney Crockett claimed the city’s prospects might be improving.
He said: “For a long time, we lacked the supply of office space in the city, but following the downturn, there is now more than enough.
“Surveys are finding the quality of life in the city is high and that is because the cost of living is coming into line with other UK cities.
“Given our large amount of industrial land and office space, I think the city is in a great position to grow in the future.”
Fleet Investments Ltd did not respond to request for comment.
