Aberdeen City Council has begun drawing down a £20million levelling up grant to redevelop the former BHS site on Union Street.

The new Aberdeen Market will be a destination venue featuring international-style food and drink outlets.

The development will also create a pedestrian connectivity between Union Street and the bus and railway stations via The Green and enliven Hadden Street and Market Street with urban realm improvements in and around The Green.

There had been fears that the proposals could falter after the new council administration axed plans to pedestrianise a stretch of central Union Street outside the market.

However, last November, SNP group leader Alex Nicoll, now council co-leader, branded the concerns about the security of the post-Brexit funding boost as a “scare story”.

And it has now been confirmed by council officials that the cash is in the bank.

Council resources director Steve Whyte told councillors: “The first bid for the £20m is secured. We are drawing down as we speak.

“Round one was the first time the grant was made available in the UK. As we are going through it we are very much aware it’s new and evolving.

The Press & Journal reports that UK ministers had nothing to do with the final sign-off.

The city’s top accountant Jonathan Belford was given the final say on whether Aberdeen had met all the conditions set to earn the multi-million-pound investment.

Mr Whyte added: “As part of ongoing conversations with the UK Government, we keep them informed of the key decisions we have made.

“They were quite clear that Mr Belford was allowed to sign that off. It didn’t require anything from the UK Government.”

The UK Government could yet announce another £20 million for Aberdeen this autumn.

The city has submitted a second bid to the levelling-up fund to help pay for the overhaul of the beachfront.

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