All six designs are here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-15349687

 

Doubts raised over funding for Aberdeen’s City Garden Project

MSP’s warning over Tax Increment Funding

 

By David Ewen chief reporter

 

Published: 03/04/201

 

FEARS were raised today that a plan to create a new park in the heart of Aberdeen faced the axe.

 

Aberdeen City Council wants a new tax scheme to raise £90 million to rejuvenate the city centre, including using £70m to raise Union Terrace Gardens to street level.

 

Tax Increment Funding (TIF) would be used to repay the cash, which Aberdeen City Council would be allowed to borrow if the government approved the business case.

 

However, Labour MSP Lewis Macdonald warned the Aberdeen scheme might have to be dropped because there are now seven TIF projects approved or in the pipeline.

 

 

Doubts raised by somebody who didn't want it in the first place?

City Gardens Project adverts investigated" (P&J today, but not online)

 

The Advertising Standards Authority are investigating radio ads and a local newspaper advert both promoting the City Garden Project. The allegations are that false statements were made.

 

An ASA spokeswoman said "there were grounds for investigation in both cases."

Northsound reporting the project is to be scrapped

:lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove:

 

I just want to know why. Oh aye.. because for some reason to cooncil couldn't magic £90m from it's anus! Thanks for your "gesture", Sir Ian. Now fuck off eh.

:lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove: :lolabove:

 

I just want to know why. Oh aye.. because for some reason to cooncil couldn't magic £90m from it's anus! Thanks for your "gesture", Sir Ian. Now fuck off eh.

 

Surely a fitba team competing in the Champions League would generate a lot of European tourism  into the city, far more than concreting over a park would.

 

Where's the £25 million for that?

 

 

Northsound reporting the project is to be scrapped

 

Quite funny and frankly Wood has made a bit of a cunt of it.

Surely a fitba team competing in the Champions League would generate a lot of European tourism  into the city, far more than concreting over a park would.

 

Where's the £25 million for that?

 

Indeed. 

Change - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

 

I never use the gardens persoanlly, or KnoW anyone that does. But we must NOT change them into something that will look better and be used!

Change - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!

 

I never use the gardens persoanlly, or KnoW anyone that does. But we must NOT change them into something that will look better worse and be used! cost a fortune

 

fixed

Quite funny and frankly Wood has made a bit of a cunt of it.

 

In what way?

 

 

He wanted some sort of legacy for Aberdeen, from him, but an already totally rooked council is to come up with millions of pounds to make it happen? 

The funding wasn't coming from the council through, it was effectively a loan paid back through business rates or something.  They weren't ploughing £90M in, unless something's changed.  Granted, there's been a hell of a lot of pish written (from both sides) about this whole debacle.

 

I would have liked to have seen something decent happen, but didn't think the "winning" design was the best.

 

I don't believe that Labour have a mandate to bin it, given that the majority voted to take it to the next stage, which may or may not have lead to it being built but it should be going to the next stage IMHO.

 

Union Street is a street of closed shops and bookies, we could do with something decent in Union Terrace Gardens.

I would have liked to have seen something decent happen, but didn't think the "winning" design was the best.

 

I don't believe that Labour have a mandate to bin it, given that the majority voted to take it to the next stage, which may or may not have lead to it being built but it should be going to the next stage IMHO.

 

Union Street is a street of closed shops and bookies, we could do with something decent in Union Terrace Gardens.

 

Agree with you Kow but whatever way it's painted, there was extra money needed from elsewhere. I thought all of the options looked pretty hellish though and Union St is not what it was because all of the shops have fucked off to the "malls".

 

Is it the case that doing nothing is no longer an option? Certainly seems like it to an outsider, just seemed a bit off Wood putting up dough and the expectation that the rest would be made up in whatever fashion.

 

Aberdeen.

 

The End.

50million would build the original art centre/ cafe design and leave 35million in change for some decent landscaping, lighting, perhaps a new bridge or 2 to Belmont street, and maybe even chuck whats left over at the Castlegate

 

 

That's way too sensible an idea

 

Nevermind, the Olympics start soon enough.

 

You'll be able to see where all your tax pennies have been spent in various other parts of the country.

No compromise from Ian Wood, i.e. there will be a massive funding gap to be filled by TIF OR no money from him. So the cunt that some people refused to accept was clearly a cunt, turns out to be acting like a total cunt and that probably means he is, in fact, a cunt.

 

Sir Ian Wood 'will not support' a City Gardens compromise

 

Businessman Sir Ian Wood has written to Aberdeen City Council's leader saying he would not support a compromise design for Union Terrace Gardens.

 

A vote will take place at the council next week which will determine the future of the City Gardens Project.

 

Sir Ian had pledged £50m of his own money towards the scheme.

 

In the letter, he said a compromise plan including the winning Granite Web design and the present gardens was "not feasible".

 

Sir Ian also said if the vote goes against the project he will have no choice but to withdraw his financial offer.

 

Last week business leaders from Aberdeen sent a letter to councillors expressing their backing for the City Garden Project.

 

A full meeting of the council on 22 August will discuss the proposals to transform Union Terrace Gardens.

 

The administration's senior coalition partners, Labour, have said they want to scrap the scheme.

 

In a referendum earlier this year, people were asked if they wanted to retain the gardens or back the City Garden Project redevelopment.

 

More than 86,000 votes were cast online, by post and by phone during the referendum. There were 45,301 votes in favour of the project, with 41,175 people opposed to the plans.

 

Tax Incremental Financing would see the £92m loan being paid back by increased income from business rates.

 

If it goes ahead, the project could be finished by 2017.

He's a cunt for not putting £50m into something he doesn't think is "not feasible"?

 

Righteo.

He's a cunt for being a cunt.

He's a cunt for being a cunt.

 

Agreed.

I liked this bit:

 

If it goes ahead, the project could be finished by 2017.

 

LAWL. I think this one could even rival the fucking tedious AWPR saga.

 

It will be enough to keep Aberdeen Journals going anyway...

Just wondering, is it really that short of being feasible to build something worthwhile for just the 50 million Wood is "donating"?

 

Not necessarily in the gardens themselves, maybe in an out of town location with seating for, say, 21 thousand to enjoy a manicured  lawn?