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Green THI grants £116,000 for Market Street improvements

The Green Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) has announced that it is to award almost £116,500 for repairs and improvements to a Market Street building.

This is the second Main Grant Scheme award to be made on Market Street and work is expected to begin next spring.

The building to be repaired is at 35-39 Market Street and consists of two small retail units on the ground floor and eight flats above. It is part of a terraced three-storey and attic granite ashlar tenement building.

It requires comprehensive external repairs and restoration of architectural details, as well as repairs to: the roof and chimneys; cast-iron guttering and pipes; and sash and case windows and dormers. Granite stonework re-pointing, and algae and moss removal are also needed.

Project manager Graham Young said: “The THI is entering an exciting new phase with works underway on a number of projects. This latest award is a further piece in the jigsaw that will not only increase the longevity of the building stock but also help to transform the attractiveness of Market Street to residents, shoppers and visitors to the city.”

The Green THI is a five-year conservation-led programme aimed at restoring Aberdeen’s historic Green to its former glory. It was set up to tackle the problems of rundown historic buildings and streetscape where longstanding economic and structural decline have undermined the character of the architecturally rich area. Works are underway on the Tivoli Theatre, Guild Street, and have been largely completed at 46-50 Market Street, which together with the completed improvements to the streetscape are helping transform the historic heart of the city.

Market Street is one of several 19th century linear planned streets in the city which offer powerful vistas contrasting with the narrower confines of the nearby Adelphi and the Green.

Archibald Simpson laid out Market Street, Exchange Street and Hadden Street on a grid pattern between 1840 and 1842 for the New Market Company. Market Street was designed to be in line with the Great North Road and connected Union Street to the harbour. Market Street remains a key linear route into the city centre.

Grant schemes were made available to nearly all property owners in the Green THI area who wished to undertake high quality repair and restoration of buildings with architectural or group merit.

The initiative will enable The Green to play a key role in city centre redevelopment and provide the important first impression of the city and Aberdeenshire to visitors arriving by bus, boat or rail. The revitalised Green will have an important role in linking Union Street with the bus and railway stations and commercial developments south of Union Street.

There is obvious potential for the development of a distinct city neighbourhood in The Green, characterised by cafes, restaurants, specialist shops, galleries and a revitalised Tivoli Theatre. The Merchant Quarter Association is working to create such an area, which provides a new vibrant, cultural, “grown-up” area for Aberdeen, centred around brasserie-style food and drink, lifestyle businesses and independent shopping, supplemented by a range of festivals; the creation of an artistic gateway with themed lighting, art, sculptures and street furniture.

It is hoped that the Green THI will completely regenerate the area by both restoring the historic fabric of The Green and attracting new uses appropriate for a 21st century city. It covers the area between Union Street and Guild Street, from Shiprow to Bridge Street, including the Adelphi, the Green, and Market Street.

The Green THI is a partnership between Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeen City Heritage Trust, The Heritage Lottery Fund, Historic Scotland and Scottish Enterprise.

It has secured £1.4million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and another £1.4million contributed by Aberdeen City Council (£525,000), Historic Scotland (£350,000), and Scottish Enterprise (£525,000).

For further information about the Green THI contact project manager Graham Young by calling 01224 523318, email gryoung@aberdeencity.gov.uk, or write to The Green THI, C/O Aberdeen City Council, Business Hub 4 Ground Floor North, Marischal College, Broad Street, Aberdeen, AB10 1AB.

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