Steven Wilson

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Breathing life into the City Centre

Steven Wilson - President JCI Aberdeen, AGCC Council Member

Aberdeen City Centre is an amazingly beautiful place that just needs to be refreshed. The foundations are all there and building upon these for the next century is crucial. Fundamentally, the established foundations that we have are fabulous architecture, a clean natural stone in the form of granite, a City Centre and a harbour that are close in proximity, and a friendly population. Aberdeen is a small City Centre that is manageable for all and should become the Centre of a City that all habitants are proud of.

The start has to be a master plan, an overall objective. What is it that we are trying to achieve here? Personally I think it has to be a place people want to come to. Then you look at what does attract people to a place. The answer to this lies in one word; entertainment. The general public likes to be entertained and a City Centre has the scope to do this. By successfully achieving this Aberdeen really can put itself at the forefront of City Centres here in the UK.

Entertainment can come in a number of formats, and one person’s idea of entertainment could be others’ idea of hell. Therefore it is important to integrate as many different aspects as is possible. The whole experience of being in the City Centre needs to be improved, and, without doubt, the plans for Union Terrace Gardens are a great start and must be used as a catalyst for the entire City Centre. We must make the whole of the City Centre more attractive, introduce more green areas and encourage families into the City.

Many of the current buildings need to be reconfigured to allow up-to-date and current use. These buildings were made for the lifestyles of past years and it is imperative that changes are made to meet the needs of today’s public. The Union Square shop units and restaurant facilities are fresh and relevant. This is what we need to look at doing in the City Centre, while simultaneously maintaining the look and feel of the City. There are some examples of buildings that have kept their look but are modernised inside, such as a number of bars/restaurants within Belmont Street, but there are far too many vacant properties on Union Street. Why are they vacant? One of these reasons, I believe, is that they are not in a state that is appealing to potential tenants.
Of course we are in hard times financially, but there is a lot of money in Aberdeen. We must try and get more of the huge companies based here involved in the City Centre. Corporate Social Responsibility is a heavily-growing area of business and this must be utilised. Having public spaces and events sponsored will draw people into the City Centre. It is possible that the lack of investment within the City Centre from private enterprise is partly due to a lack of investment in the City Centre by the local council. It is a bit of a chicken and egg situation but I believe it is fair to say that we need more investment.

I have a vision of a pedestrianised City Centre, presenting a safe and comfortable environment for everyone to enjoy. Nice restaurants, cultural Centres for the arts, green open spaces and retail units. One such example is an area off Kings Road in London, a nice square of paving with low maintenance shrubbery and water features. Around this are retail units and restaurants with outdoor seating for the summer. Entertainers are allowed into this area in summer, adding to the family feel. Incorporating established buildings into these new communal areas will allow such established buildings to be converted into museums, art galleries, cinemas, sporting facilities. Look at Rockefeller Centre in New York where a mixture of entertainment and functional units exist in a very pleasant surrounding.

I know Aberdeen is not London or New York but we must look at all cities and learn from them. If such developments are a success in these places then why should similar developments not work in Aberdeen? This is what I believe will breathe life back into the City Centre and will encourage more investment. You have to speculate to accumulate and now is the time to do it.

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