Aberdeen City Centre Masterplan facts for kids

The Aberdeen City Centre Masterplan is a big project by Aberdeen City Council that aims to make the city of Aberdeen even better. It's like a special plan for how the city centre will look and work in the future.

History of the Plan

In March 2015, the first ideas for this project were shared with everyone. People living in Aberdeen were asked for their thoughts in "public consultations." This means the council asked the public what they liked or didn't like about the plans.

The ideas were created by a company called BDP. Back in 2015, the project was expected to cost around £280 million. City councillors officially approved the plan on June 24, 2015.

Later, in November 2016, the council announced they had raised £307 million. They did this by selling "public bonds," which are like special loans from people or groups that the council promises to pay back later. This money would help pay for the masterplan, a new event venue called the P&J Live, and other important city improvements.

What the Plan Proposed

The first ideas for the masterplan included some exciting changes. One big idea was to make parts of Union Street more friendly for walkers. This is called "partial pedestrianisation," meaning some areas would be mostly for people on foot, with fewer cars.

Another proposal was a "station gateway." This would create an easy path for people walking between Union Street and Aberdeen railway station.

New ideas were shared in 2016. These included creating a new area called Queen's Square. This would happen after taking down the old police headquarters building on Queen Street.