Aberdeen City Centre

[Ke1t]

Least you could sell the Capri and cigar collection before it comes to that.

 

Would the proceeds cover one night in a Euro Hostel, though?

[gla5gowdon]

First thing I'd do is introduce standards to Union Street. Too many shops are like fucking market stalls at the Barras. Send some mean fucker up and down Union street as a matter of routine, and fine anyone who thinks it's cools to have a shop like a shithole.

 

Close off Union Street from Union Terrace to Market Street, rip up the road and plant trees, and stick in benches... oh, and some public amenities like bathrooms might be a radical fucking idea. Encourage things like Coffee Shops and restaurants in the new pedestrianised area, and actually make it into a civil center, rather than a traffic trap with a soap shop.

 

Shut all the shops in The Aberdeen Market, and turn it into something that doesn't look like the Ninth Circle of Minker Hell. My own personal preference would be Kelt's Fighteria... where kids pished on shandy and wine coolers can don a pair of boxing gloves and, for a couple of quid, smash the fuck out of one another without bothering people who just want to have a good time. They sign a waiver that absolves Kelt's Fighteria and the City of Aberdeen from any injuries up to and including vegetative state and death.

 

Retrain Grampian Police as Police Officers and educate them on their own jobs so that they know the law.

 

I think the redevelopment of the Trongate is a good starting point. When I was last home I think I saw two theatres, a couple of art galleries and the obligatory hipster bars etc. Drive people there for reasons that aren't shopping or knocking fuck out of each other.

[Ke1t]

I think the redevelopment of the Trongate is a good starting point. When I was last home I think I saw two theatres, a couple of art galleries and the obligatory hipster bars etc. Drive people there for reasons that aren't shopping or knocking fuck out of each other.

 

Turn one of the art galleries into a Fighteria Franchise. I like art as much as the next man, but no city needs more than one art gallery, particularly if it doesn't have a Fighteria.

[gla5gowdon]

Turn one of the art galleries into a Fighteria Franchise. I like art as much as the next man, but no city needs more than one art gallery, particularly if it doesn't have a Fighteria.

 

Can we have gimmick nights?

 

Tooled-up Tuesdays?

Murder Mondays?

[Bluto10]

How is aberdeen doing for museums these days?

 

Cities near me are choc a bloc with them

[granite sheep]

Nae too bad; Maritime Museum is aye a hoot, Art Gallery's decent, Provost Skene's House and the Tollbooth are good inaa. A decent afternoon can be spent going round all four.

 

Better than some towns, went down to Perth for the day, all they had was an art gallery and a museum/art gallery. They were nae bad but fuck me the city centre is a shithole. Made me appreciate better how comparatively good we've got it up here.

[Henry]

FOR sale signs cluttering up building fronts on Aberdeen’s Union Street will be taken down to make the area more appealing.

Business improvement group Aberdeen Inspired asked property agents to take down V-boards from the Granite Mile.

Now a deal has been struck to remove the signs jutting from windows, in a bid to present the main shopping street in a more positive light.

Allan Henderson, the Aberdeen Inspired director behind the move, said: “Nobody likes to see empty shops as it leads to a perception that the whole area is neglected. Removing the V-boards will certainly have an immediate impact visually.”

The signs are expected to be removed before Christmas and will be replaced with vinyl wraps on the buildings’ windows.

[dave_min]

About time too, eh?

[Foster14]

It isn't the empty shops that make it look shoddy and derelict, it is the signs...

 

Inspiring stuff from Allan Henderson and co.

[Dynamo]

Saw there was a new Italian on Union Street near where Brice Millers was. When was that opened?

[Pudgie]

It isn't the empty shops that make it look shoddy and derelict, it is the signs...

 

Inspiring stuff from Allan Henderson and co.

Phenomenal. It's a positive move (depending on what the vinyl wraps look like) but one that shouldn't make the news. When they actually decide something innovative, that's when it's news worthy.

[Foster14]

Two weeks ago. Meant to be something else opening in the old Waterstones as well, thinking it is a bar/restaurant going there as well. Guess it will be trying to be "upmarket" given the area.

 

Which reminds me, got to resurrect another thread...

[Pudgie]

Saw there was a new Italian on Union Street near where Brice Millers was. When was that opened?

It's where G Star was. Opened at the end of last month IIRC.

[spamspamspam]

Phenomenal. It's a positive move (depending on what the vinyl wraps look like) but one that shouldn't make the news. When they actually decide something innovative, that's when it's news worthy.

 

 

I'm not sure it is a positive move at all. Swapping sticky oot signs for vinyl wrap on windaes, both will just look shitty and the windae thing will just get filthy from the buses, lorrys slush and shit spewed up from the road.

 

Better served pushing the landlords to drop their horrendous rental costs and to redevelop the inside of the buildings so smaller locally owned shops can start setting up in them. An empty building is an empty building...

[Pudgie]

 

 

I'm not sure it is a positive move at all. Swapping sticky oot signs for vinyl wrap on windaes, both will just look shitty and the windae thing will just get filthy from the buses, lorrys slush and shit spewed up from the road.

 

Better served pushing the landlords to drop their horrendous rental costs and to redevelop the inside of the buildings so smaller locally owned shops can start setting up in them. An empty building is an empty building...

It saves being able to see them for 100's of yards though. Once you pass the door, you wouldn't be able to tell. Like I said though, still a terrible thing to announce. Makes them look devoid of true ideas.

 

The rental rates are astronomical and should definitely be cut. No small business would be able to sustain that costs.

[terenceandphilip]

The former Waterstones has planning permission to be made into a licensed premise. This is a good move. Soul, new Italian, Pret a Manger, Yu, Noodle shop all in the immediate vicinity.

 

Capital, Bruce Millers and Bell's Hotel (pending) all have planing permission to be made into offices and a hotel (Bruce Millers)

 

Apartments going in above the Anthaeneum, Jamie Oliver's across the road in E&M's.

 

The Green, Market Street and Guild Street etc are all massivley improved since the introduction of Union Square, which also forced the Bon Accord centre to throw a 6.

 

New offices going in on the roof of the St Nicholas Centre where the POst Office was.

 

St Nicholas house in the process of coming down. The gubbins round about stretching from the tower to Upperkirkgate (i.e. the sh1te that was a thousand times worse than St Nicholas House itself) all gone.

 

 

 

slowly, slowly, slowly there seems to be daylight. But the middle section (which should have been pedestrianised years ago) continues to be bampot central with pound shops, McDonalds etc.

[spamspamspam]

 

 

Apartments going in above the Anthaeneum, Jamie Oliver's across the road in E&M's.

 

 

 

You sure? Everyone I've spoken to about that thinks its a hotel thats going in there?

[terenceandphilip]

no apartments I think, there is a new banner hung lately which says so.

 

Confusion maybe as to whether they're for purchase or rent? The hotel on Market Street seems to be involved.

[spamspamspam]

no apartments I think, there is a new banner hung lately which says so.

 

Confusion maybe as to whether they're for purchase or rent? The hotel on Market Street seems to be involved.

 

 

Ah so serviced type apartment things then probably.

 

Explains why the Atheneaum and snafu are being left, if it was a full on hotel they'd want that for the reception etc.

[StandFree1982]

Aberdeen has no heart in the city centre. Raising the UTG would have given us a huge space to have something festive and interesting in the city centre, instead we've got an almost literal black hole in the middle of Aberdeen, that will hardly be used except as a public toilet for the homeless, taking up a massive area of the centre of town.

 

Edinburgh has Chrismas stalls and a big fucking wheel and it looks very welcoming and interesting, it brings in tourists and they must be raking it in. Aberdeen has fuck all.

[terenceandphilip]

I agree, Aberdeen sorely lacks a focal point and the Gardens project was a great idea stupidly rejected. Stupid to the point of idiocy.

 

 

I went to the architects display at the Art Gallery who got awarded the work for the St Nicholas development. They seem to think (as do the council) that this can be the new centre of the city centre. I don't agree, its too far off the beaten trail. There is only one centre of the centre and it's Union Street from Market Street to Bridge Street and the Gardens.

 

The old St Nicolas House had some weird underpass gallery and a pond that erm nobody ever went to - though it was supposed to be some meeting place and a point of congregation in the original designs.

[RabidGiraffe]

I agree, Aberdeen sorely lacks a focal point and the Gardens project was a great idea stupidly rejected. Stupid to the point of idiocy.

 

Now, now T&P, that's a very insidious remark. I think the majority of people in Aberdeen agree that something needs to be done to improve the gardens. What they didn't like were the plans put forward or the way that the campaign to have them built conducted themselves. I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's a good idea to cover over the railway and the road, have greater/easier public access, improve the site and have more things going on there. The plans put forward were too expensive and did not fit with what people wanted. The attempts of the pro campaign to bully people into accepting them was shameful.

[spamspamspam]

 

Now, now T&P, that's a very insidious remark. I think the majority of people in Aberdeen agree that something needs to be done to improve the gardens. What they didn't like were the plans put forward or the way that the campaign to have them built conducted themselves. I don't know anyone who doesn't think it's a good idea to cover over the railway and the road, have greater/easier public access, improve the site and have more things going on there. The plans put forward were too expensive and did not fit with what people wanted. The attempts of the pro campaign to bully people into accepting them was shameful.

 

 

I stopped reading properly at the bit in bold and just skimmed the rest.

 

Aberdeen, thats the people that live in Aberdeen and were registered to vote in Aberdeen had their say, more turned out than has for any local election in years and that say was YES to the CGP.

 

I'm pig fucking sick of those that sympathised with friends of UTG claiming that they won some sort of victory in this and I'm also pig fucking sick of them now being lorded as some pressure group with real power. They did not win anything, they lost the referendum battle and the only reason work hasnt begun is because Labour got in by playing to the eh-berdonian psyche of nae in my back yard, nae changin at like, leave at alone ya up yer arse rich cunt and the rest of the dinna dee at roon here brigade. They got in by targeting Lib Dem areas, playing on the dislike people had for the Lib Dems after entering into a collision with the tories and promising to put a stop to projects that were for the good of the whole city, sacrificing the progress of the city for a bit of power. We now have no new stadium, yet more fucking 3rd don crossing consultations, artist fucking impression after artist fucking impressions and we are further away from any real progress in the cioty than we were 5 years ago.

 

As for bullying, well... Barney and Willie have done nothing but try to bully everyone into doing what they decide whether the sums add up or not. Their plans have been shown to be utter fucking pie in sky, there are massive holes in their budgets and they have their heads so far up each others arses its impossible for either to pull them out of the big fucking sand pit they are both buried in.

 

Oh and finally, check the actual elections results. You'll find more people voted for the SNP than Labour and more voted for parties that didnt say no to the CGP than did so your backing of them pulling the project does nothing but give their undemocratic actions validity.

 

We now have what all those that voted Labour deserve. Unfortunately the rest of us with sense deserved a lot better than they lumped us with.

 

Thanks for that.

[RabidGiraffe]

 

 

I stopped reading properly at the bit in bold and just skimmed the rest.

 

Aberdeen, thats the people that live in Aberdeen and were registered to vote in Aberdeen had their say, more turned out than has for any local election in years and that say was YES to the CGP.

 

I'm pig fucking sick of those that sympathised with friends of UTG claiming that they won some sort of victory in this and I'm also pig fucking sick of them now being lorded as some pressure group with real power. They did not win anything, they lost the referendum battle and the only reason work hasnt begun is because Labour got in by playing to the eh-berdonian psyche of nae in my back yard, nae changin at like, leave at alone ya up yer arse rich cunt and the rest of the dinna dee at roon here brigade. They got in by targeting Lib Dem areas, playing on the dislike people had for the Lib Dems after entering into a collision with the tories and promising to put a stop to projects that were for the good of the whole city, sacrificing the progress of the city for a bit of power. We now have no new stadium, yet more fucking 3rd don crossing consultations, artist fucking impression after artist fucking impressions and we are further away from any real progress in the cioty than we were 5 years ago.

 

As for bullying, well... Barney and Willie have done nothing but try to bully everyone into doing what they decide whether the sums add up or not. Their plans have been shown to be utter fucking pie in sky, there are massive holes in their budgets and they have their heads so far up each others arses its impossible for either to pull them out of the big fucking sand pit they are both buried in.

 

Oh and finally, check the actual elections results. You'll find more people voted for the SNP than Labour and more voted for parties that didnt say no to the CGP than did so your backing of them pulling the project does nothing but give their undemocratic actions validity.

 

We now have what all those that voted Labour deserve. Unfortunately the rest of us with sense deserved a lot better than they lumped us with.

 

Thanks for that.

 

Did you enjoy your rant? I wasn't in anyway supporting Labour councillors, Friends of UTG or the NIMBY brigade. The majority wanted something to be done with the gardens, as I clearly stated and was reflected in the public vote. The most popular of the six designs submitted, the one chosen by the public, was rejected by ASCEF for a design that wasn't popular with the public. The new plans put forward earlier this year were pretty decent and I didn't here many complaints.

[daytripping]

 

 

I stopped reading properly at the bit in bold and just skimmed the rest.

 

Aberdeen, thats the people that live in Aberdeen and were registered to vote in Aberdeen had their say, more turned out than has for any local election in years and that say was YES to the CGP.

 

I'm pig fucking sick of those that sympathised with friends of UTG claiming that they won some sort of victory in this and I'm also pig fucking sick of them now being lorded as some pressure group with real power. They did not win anything, they lost the referendum battle and the only reason work hasnt begun is because Labour got in by playing to the eh-berdonian psyche of nae in my back yard, nae changin at like, leave at alone ya up yer arse rich cunt and the rest of the dinna dee at roon here brigade. They got in by targeting Lib Dem areas, playing on the dislike people had for the Lib Dems after entering into a collision with the tories and promising to put a stop to projects that were for the good of the whole city, sacrificing the progress of the city for a bit of power. We now have no new stadium, yet more fucking 3rd don crossing consultations, artist fucking impression after artist fucking impressions and we are further away from any real progress in the cioty than we were 5 years ago.

 

As for bullying, well... Barney and Willie have done nothing but try to bully everyone into doing what they decide whether the sums add up or not. Their plans have been shown to be utter fucking pie in sky, there are massive holes in their budgets and they have their heads so far up each others arses its impossible for either to pull them out of the big fucking sand pit they are both buried in.

 

Oh and finally, check the actual elections results. You'll find more people voted for the SNP than Labour and more voted for parties that didnt say no to the CGP than did so your backing of them pulling the project does nothing but give their undemocratic actions validity.

 

We now have what all those that voted Labour deserve. Unfortunately the rest of us with sense deserved a lot better than they lumped us with.

 

Thanks for that.

 

Well said Spam, I agree with every word.

 

The people behind the campaign to keep the hole in the ground now run the Aberdeen Voice, a joke of a publication that I'm banned from posting on due to my backing of the referendum result, voice of the people, .Friends of UTG my arse, I don't recall any election for that group, I have as much say about the gardens fate than any of them, one of the top mouthpieces for them is American and only been here a few years, the rest are up their own arse cunts full of self importance.

 

The people spoke and were ignored, a fucking joke decision made by a few tossers playing at being politicians, they don't care for the people they just want their 4 years of self importance.

 

As was said earlier look at Edinburgh, a huge German market in their garden every Christmas, tourists flock from all over to go, imagine trying to do that in our dank hole in the ground, even the drunks don't go there in Winter.

 

The weird thing is the bulk of people who are active campaigners against the CGP are socialists, how on earth can they square away ignoring a democratic vote with their beliefs, they appear to support a dictatorship stance.

[spamspamspam]

 

The most popular of the six designs submitted, the one chosen by the public, was rejected by ASCEF for a design that wasn't popular with the public. The new plans put forward earlier this year were pretty decent and I didn't here many complaints.

 

When was their a public vote on which design went forward to the referendum - maybe the EE readers voted for something else in some straw poll but the only reall Aberdeen public vote was granite web, want it or leave it.

The new plans put forward were also rejected by Friends of UTG.

 

I never said you personally were supporting the Labour councillors, just those that did now got what they deserved, its just a shame the rest of us have to suffer with them.

 

Where are all these cunts now, the ones that kept banging on about public land going to the private sector and why arent they kicking Barneys door in for doing a lot worse with the St Nic site.

[spamspamspam]

 

The weird thing is the bulk of people who are active campaigners against the CGP are socialists, how on earth can they square away ignoring a democratic vote with their beliefs, they appear to support a dictatorship stance.

 

I work in a council owned building where they sometimes meet their bumpkin counterparts and chew the butteries. I bumped into Barney Crockett and asked him just that. So Barney, with your 2nd highest percentage of the vote in Aberdeen, tied to your partys bitter enemy to cling onto power, promising Lib Dem holds the world to buy their votes and cash in on whats just went down in Westminster and your lot still just scrapping in. So, Barney, how can you just ignore the result of a referendum and can a project that has been 5 years in the making and agreed upon by more people in Aberdeen than were against it.

 

He called Willie, mumbled help mi Willie and Willie gave him the answer...

 

Well, it wasnt a real vote. It was ONLY a referendum and not legally binding. He rattled off some parliamentary act and thought he had got himself out unscathed. I carried on... Really Barney, thats very interesting. What you're telling me then is if Scotland becomes independent I should never vote Labour because they'll just reverse it. Working or not, wanted or not, they'll jump straight back into bed with Westminster and we'll become the new old UK, is that what could happen? Eh, no, no, eh no he said. How not, its just a referendum after all.

 

He suddenly remembered he had to be somewhere, mumbled something about bloody nationalists and quickly buggered off.

[RabidGiraffe]

 

When was their a public vote on which design went forward to the referendum - maybe the EE readers voted for something else in some straw poll but the only reall Aberdeen public vote was granite web, want it or leave it.

The new plans put forward were also rejected by Friends of UTG.

 

I never said you personally were supporting the Labour councillors, just those that did now got what they deserved, its just a shame the rest of us have to suffer with them.

 

Where are all these cunts now, the ones that kept banging on about public land going to the private sector and why arent they kicking Barneys door in for doing a lot worse with the St Nic site.

 

There was a consultantion where the six designs were on display in what used to be The Pier on Belmont Street for a few days. People could rank the six in order of preference. I think the Granite Web design came 5th in the process, but it was chosen by ASCEF as the winning design. Must admit I didn't like the GW design, but I like the one that was proposed earlier this year. It keeps a lot of the current features whilst really adding a great many things, enhancing the site and the city centre. Bollocks to friends of UTG.

 

Fair enough, I misunderstood your response to my post. Our current council are probably the most incompetent bunch we've ever had.

 

I've not seen the plans for the St Nic site. I've heard they're on display in the Art Gallery sometime this month but can't find anything online.

[ChutneyLove]

Why don't Codonas move the carnies there - since the idea seems to be to fill it with misfits. Seen the state of the folk that work on the Waltzers?!

[spamspamspam]

 

There was a consultantion where the six designs were on display in what used to be The Pier on Belmont Street for a few days. People could rank the six in order of preference. I think the Granite Web design came 5th in the process, but it was chosen by ASCEF as the winning design. Must admit I didn't like the GW design, but I like the one that was proposed earlier this year. It keeps a lot of the current features whilst really adding a great many things, enhancing the site and the city centre. Bollocks to friends of UTG.

 

Fair enough, I misunderstood your response to my post. Our current council are probably the most incompetent bunch we've ever had.

 

I've not seen the plans for the St Nic site. I've heard they're on display in the Art Gallery sometime this month but can't find anything online.

 

 

There was a consultantion where the six designs were on display in what used to be The Pier on Belmont Street for a few days. People could rank the six in order of preference. I think the Granite Web design came 5th in the process, but it was chosen by ASCEF as the winning design. Must admit I didn't like the GW design, but I like the one that was proposed earlier this year. It keeps a lot of the current features whilst really adding a great many things, enhancing the site and the city centre. Bollocks to friends of UTG.

 

Fair enough, I misunderstood your response to my post. Our current council are probably the most incompetent bunch we've ever had.

 

I've not seen the plans for the St Nic site. I've heard they're on display in the Art Gallery sometime this month but can't find anything online.

 

It was just a wee ballot box thing though, not really a public consultation or a public vote. Yes the people that did vote voted wanted a different design and the committee, made up of councillors, Wood and a couple of other businessmen then picked the final winner but it was by no means a public vote or consultation.

 

The consultation the Scottish Government held could be and was voted on by people as far a field as Australia. It wasnt and didnt represent the feeling of the people of Aberdeen, just the feeling of those with the most active friends on facebook or whatever other social media outlet FoUTG were posting the links on screaming vote no.

 

Unfortunately I dont think you will now. FoUTG had Barney round for their AGM, had a vote on moving the train station entrance to UTG and decided there was too much concrete and that Barney Square will do nicely. So instead put bird boxes on trees and think that they have no made a massive improvement to the gardens because some more birds stop by for nuts.