Garthdee Controlled Parking Zone update
Ian Yuill
Liberal Democrat councillor for Mannofield, Airyhall, Braeside, Broomhill, Garthdee, Kaimhill and Ruthrieston Learn more
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‘Marischal Square’ – it is as bad as we feared
by Ian Yuill on 4 March, 2017
I continue to be contacted by people who are upset and angry about the “Marischal Square” development opposite Marischal College.
People tell me they believe the development is too big, hides Provost Skene’s House and is completely inappropriate for a site opposite Marischal College.
I agree with all these points.
My Liberal Democrat colleagues and I opposed the choice of Muse as the developer for the site. We did this because we believed their scheme just was not good enough for such an important site, was too big a development for the site and did not respect the setting of Provost Skene’s House and Marischal College. We believe the decision by the council to choose the Muse development was a huge mistake and a massive missed opportunity to create something special on this key site which would enhance our city centre.
We argued that what was needed was a smaller development which did respect the setting of Marischal College and Provost Skene’s House and included much more open space.
Sadly as this development nears completion it is clear our worries were justified.
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11 Comments
How can they close broad st to traffic when you see the amount of traffic that uses it
The council’s roads staff said that the traffic modelling that was done showed closing Broad Street to cars, vans and lorries should not lead to major problems. It will remain open to buses.
Dear Ian,
Yes, the development of this enterprise should never have gone ahead in the way it has.
We have a very fine historic building that was very rarely openly seen by a majority of the citizens of Aberdeen.
What is going to happen to our already chaotic city transport problems if Broad Street is “tampered with” – the bus route is very important and the new town house does not seem to have ambiance to it approaches.
Rosemary, the changes to Broad Street will still allow it to be used as a bus route.
The real tragedy is that the developer and the Council sold it as a unique development in keeping with the architecture of Old Aberdeen whearas it is actually a carbon copy of Muse developments in Salford Lewisham and many other of their projects around the UK. The Council were either duped by Muse or mis-represented the development to the people of Aberdeen. Now we move on to the next Council blunder of the new AECC being built right next to the airport runway approach and departure routes and which includes areas of car parking, public space, cycle and footpaths which encourage people to use an area designated as a Public Safety Zone which is mandated by the Civil Aviation Authority planning guidance to keep the public off the zone. The zone is a dangerous place to be and there have been many aircraft accidents on these clear spaces in recent years around the world. But Aberdeen City Council and of course the DEVELOPER seem to be doing their best to circumvent the guidance by interpreting the guidance in their own way and in doing so are effectively putting the people of Aberdeen at risk of injury or death in the event of an aircraft accident on this Public Safety Zone. Of course there have also been aircraft accidents around the world outside these zones and so people may also wonder about the wisdom of building a 12500 capacity auditorium within a couple of hundred metres of this dangerous area and right next to the flight path where aircraft will be passing just a couple of hundred feet above it. Indeed the recent accident in Australia highlighted the council there having allowed planning to encroach upon the airport which left no available land for the aircraft in difficulty to land on. Instead it crashed into a Mall and exploded in a fireball. What if this happens on a 12500 seat auditorium?
Dear Ian,
You have expressed strong views on Marischal Square and how it dwarfs and hides our historic and famous buildings in that area and I agree with all you have said. If you genuinely believe this then I cannot understand why you wholeheartedly support the building of a bridge over the Dee right alongside the Old Brig of Dee hiding this most historic structure which has played such a significant part of Aberdeens history. Even the new Coat of Arms for the Burgesses of Aberdeen are shown with the symbolic bridge as the base referencing the Old Brig of Dee. We all need to preserve structures which are important to remembering our heritage not hide or demolish them for the sake of convenience.
Norman
Norman, I certainly believe what I said about Marischal Square.
Turning to the location for a new Dee bridge, the option for a bridge just upstream of the Bridge of Dee has, in my view, the least overall impact. The major difficulty with the other two options which involve building a bridge further upstream is that traffic using the bridge will have to pass along Garthdee Road. These two options also have an impact on the RGU campus.
I have just read this comment on the position of the new AECC – I am worried that the Council would choose to disregard public safety in this way. I agree that the new AECC should not be built so near to the Airport runways etc. has planning permission been granted? What is the current status of the proposal?
The new AECC has planning permission and the development is underway.
Dear Frances
Yes Ian is right. Unfortunately the planning application was approved. I did not look at or object to the plans when originally submitted because I assumed it would be built in a safe location. When I discovered where it was to be built I made representations to Ian and the Council. Ian replied to say it was approved and complied with planning regulations but I was concerned and did some more research. I discovered that there was a planning guidance from the Civil Aviation Authority covering what are called Public Safety Zones. The guidance states that there should be no increase in the number of people living working or congregating on a PSZ and that over time the numbers should be reduced where possible. At Aberdeen the PSZ for runway 34 was open farmland with almost no people on it or using it. The new development now includes, on the PSZ, an overspill car park, a new area of parkland and recreation and numerous footpaths and cycle paths. There is also discussion taking place about building a railway station on or very close to the PSZ which if built would mean additional public paths to and from the AECC crossing the PSZ. All this clearly massively increases the number of people on the PSZ in direct contravention of the CAA planning guidance. I contacted the CAA and Scottish Government who are investigating the matter. It appears from the planning documents that the whole issue of the PSZ was barely mentioned. The CAA planning guidance was not included or referred to, and the CAA was not asked to contribute. When the planning application was reviewed by the Council a few weeks ago I raised the matter with Councillors on the planning committee and concern was expressed at that meeting that this issue had not been discussed when the original application had been approved. However the application was re-approved! Reaction from the Chief Planning Officer to my concerns seems to be that everything is fine and that these developments are happening all the time (which I can find no evidence to support), and that the overspill car park has been cleverly designated as long stay (has to be more than 6 hours to comply with CAA exceptions to their guidance when it is clear that it is likely only to be used at capacity concerts when most vehicles will be there for less than 6 hours), and that the parkland and paths cover all the site and not just the PSZ. It seems clear to
me that the subject of the PSZ has not been taken seriously and nor has potential danger of siting of so many large capacity buildings so close to the PSZ ever been considered by councillors because it was not included at any stage of the planning application. I am still awaiting the results of the CAA and Scottish Government investigations who have both expressed concern. To highlight the real risks to the public I compiled a map of the new AECC site with recent aircraft landing accident positions overlaid on the map which clearly demonstrates that these crashes would have been on the Aberdeen PSZ overspill car park, paths and recreation areas. To my mind the risk to the site is even greater for take off accidents from the opposite runway 16. In a take off accident it is much more likely that an aircraft will deviate laterally and crash to one side of the take off path as happened recently in Malta and Melbourne. On my map I plotted the Malta take off crash position which is just on the edge and to one side of the PSZ. I also plotted the result had the crash happened just a few seconds later and this showed that the aircraft may well have crashed right on the new AECC. I did not receive any comment at all to this map from anyone at the Council. I do wonder who will feel safe sitting in a concert at the new AECC or sleeping in the new hotels which are to be built just over 100 metres away from approaching aircraft. Having done a lot of research I am dumbfounded by the apparent lack of consideration of the public safety issues regarding this planning application and of the cavalier attitude to the general principle of the CAA planning guidance which is to exclude as many people as possible from the danger of being on a Public Safety Zone.
Yes, development opposite Marischal College is an eye sore- it’s embarrassing. ACC architects and town planners appear to have no sophistication, pride in their buildings, no style. I think the city planner should go on a tour of just a few European cities and get a few tips on how not to ruin a city. Aberdeen did once have an attractive granite mile – hard to see now, amongst the super-high ugly glass office blocks.