Commenting on the decision made by Aberdeen City Council, Adrian Watson, Chief Executive at Aberdeen Inspired said: “Aberdeen Inspired is disappointed that the bold, ambitious plan to pedestrianise ‘Union Street Central’ has been rejected. At a time when we need creativity and forward-thinking to tackle the challenges facing our city centre, this is a missed opportunity. No-one disputes that accessibility for all is a major concern but it is one that could be overcome by working together to find solutions, rather than falling at the first hurdle.
“Pedestrianisation and the potential it would unlock could have brought the overall city centre vision to life and on a par with most other progressive towns and cities up and down the country. We hope these plans can be revisited.
“We are pleased to see support for the Belmont Street Quarter and with that the Café Culture. We have long maintained that this is ideal to allow our hospitality businesses to responsibly develop onto the street, with plenty of examples of this being the successful norm in places further north than us. Of course, there needs to be reassurance that the communication continues with all our businesses in that area to find the best fit model.
“We are also delighted to see strong support for the beach proposals, which are so important to the wider city centre regeneration”