Aberdeen City Council is exploring handing out larger grants to businesses in a bid to fill out big empty units like the former Marks & Spencer store.
Speaking to the Press and Journal, the council's finance convener Alex McLellan hailed the success of the Empty Shops Grant Scheme which has helped 19 properties with grants of up to £35,000 since being launched in 2023.
But as the local authority doubles down on efforts to revive Aberdeen city centre, Mr McLellan suggested larger grants could be looked at to secure tenants for bigger vacant units.
He told the P&J: “A £35k match‑funding grant, depending on how big your unit is — particularly some of the huge ones — wouldn’t actually go very far.
“Moving forward, it’s something we’ll have to review. There might be a need for a larger grant to get a larger tenant into some of the larger units.”
It comes as work to transform a section of Union Street between Market Street and Bridge Street is hoped to be complete by summer, while the new market building, Flint, is lined up to open late next year.
Read the full story in the P&J.