tom_widdows Posted February 3, 2015 Report Posted February 3, 2015 Aberdeen has won the unwanted title of the most dismal town in Scotland. Urban Realm magazine said Aberdeen had become the "poor relation" of Scotland's cities as it awarded the annual Plook on the Plinth Carbuncle award to the Granite City. Aberdeen City Council acknowledged that there was work to do to improve the heart of the city, but said progress was "well under way". Cumbernauld, East Kilbride and Leven had been among the other contenders. Urban Realm highlighted planning issues such as Union Terrace Gardens , Marischal Square, and missing out on the 2017 City of Culture shortlist as evidence of Aberdeen's "dismal" status. 'Left behind' The architecture magazine's editor John Glenday said: "Aberdeen is a great city but despite its enviable financial clout and rich heritage legacy it has become the poor relation of the Scottish cities. "It has been left behind by the likes of Dundee, which has made huge strides to transform its waterfront. "The time to turn things around is now. In a few years' time it may well be too late." The trophy will he handed over on Tuesday morning. Aberdeen City Council's planning convener Councillor Ramsay Milne said Aberdeen was an "ambitious city" which had on Monday hosted a high-level summit at which the council pressed its case for the UK government to sign up to a City Deal. He added: "This would provide the resources to make transformational changes to sustain the city for decades to come. "This is a proud and historic city which can trace its roots back almost a thousand years. It boasts some of the finest buildings in Scotland, including the iconic Marischal College, and also enjoys a magnificent seafront with superb maritime views. "Aberdeen City Council recognises that there is work to do to improve the heart of the city and progress is well under way to refine a City Centre Masterplan, which will set the framework to enhance the city centre in the short, medium and long term. "The masterplan will seek to build on the many assets which the city already has." Steve Harris, chief executive of VisitAberdeen, said: "I am pleased that we have been given this award as anything that draws attention to Aberdeen can only help people realise how preposterous and ignorant its award is. "Aberdeen is a stunning city with beautiful parks and gardens, a beach that runs for miles right into the city centre and some stunning architecture. "With development proceeding apace in many parts of the city and a new City Centre Regeneration Plan due this summer, the future looks bright." The Plook on the Plinth award was established in 2000 to provoke debate. Previous winners of the award include Cumbernauld and Glenrothes. Has the beach been extended as part of Union Square then? The Stunning Architecture would be those buildings currently/ soon to be hidden behind the next round of invading Radisson hotels and shopping malls? Quote
Superstar Tradesman Posted February 4, 2015 Report Posted February 4, 2015 Aberdeen is the city that continually votes no for any type of change. They have the city they deserve. Quote
manc_don Posted February 4, 2015 Report Posted February 4, 2015 I've had this sent to me by an unbelievable amount of people. I'm not even from Aberdeen! ACC should be ashamed of themselves, hopefully (though unlikely) it might stimulate them to stop being useless money grabbing cunts and actually think about urban realm properly. Quote
Kowalski Posted February 4, 2015 Report Posted February 4, 2015 Aberdeen is the city that continually votes no for any type of change. They have the city they deserve. They did vote for the UTG overhaul (whether rightly or wrongly) and simply got ignored by the council. I don't think you can put the blame on the residents. At all. Quote
Andrew Posted February 4, 2015 Report Posted February 4, 2015 They did vote for the UTG overhaul (whether rightly or wrongly) and simply got ignored by the council. I don't think you can put the blame on the residents. At all. Would have paving over a victorian gardens have made Aberdeen a much better city? It's the dour attitude and the nouveau riche from the oil that bring the city down. Quote
Superstar Tradesman Posted February 5, 2015 Report Posted February 5, 2015 I was, in a round about sort of way, having a dig at the fact that Aberdeen voted against independence. The area is afluent, the council is skint, all the money heads South to Westminster and doesn't trickle back up the road again. Still, as long as the missus has a Range Rover Evoque to tackle the potholes in the road so that she can drop the kids of at school at the end of the street then why bother with change? Quote
Kowalski Posted February 5, 2015 Report Posted February 5, 2015 I was, in a round about sort of way, having a dig at the fact that Aberdeen voted against independence. The area is afluent, the council is skint, all the money heads South to Westminster and doesn't trickle back up the road again. Still, as long as the missus has a Range Rover Evoque to tackle the potholes in the road so that she can drop the kids of at school at the end of the street then why bother with change? Whether the money heads South to Westminster or South to Holyrood would make no difference to Aberdeen. Quote
Tyrant Posted February 5, 2015 Report Posted February 5, 2015 Whether the money heads South to Westminster or South to Holyrood would make no difference to Aberdeen. Oh Jesus. Not this again. Quote
Nellie The Don Posted February 5, 2015 Report Posted February 5, 2015 Whether the money heads South to Westminster or South to Holyrood would make no difference to Aberdeen. Do you honestly think that if it weren't for Holyrood and fear of losing out to the SNP that Westminster would even come close to entertaining the notion of this kind of deal to sustain Aberdeen's economy? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-north-east-orkney-shetland-31090239 Take a tour around Lanarkshire (coal mining) or Renfrewshire (ship building) and it won't take you long to figure out exactly what Westminster has planned for Aberdeen when the oil industry starts to flag. A great big fucking 'closed' sign. Quote
Superstar Tradesman Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 Take a walk down the highstreet and you'll already see signs of it. Quote
Kowalski Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 Union Street is full of bookies and pound shops = council's fault. Quote
manc_don Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 Take a walk down the highstreet and you'll already see signs of it. Signs of useless local council, not Westminster. Westminster doesn't choose to build these bloody shopping malls, the ACC does. Quote
tlg1903 Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 I reckon that if you discounted the huge non Scottish oil working population that live in Aberdeen vote from the ref result from the city would be very different. On topic I have lived in Aberdeen for 3 and a half years accumulatively over the years and I doubt I ever well again. It's just not a place I like and I'm not surprised by this assessment. Quote
Kowalski Posted February 6, 2015 Report Posted February 6, 2015 I think it's a great place to live, very good standard of living, a lot drier compared to other parts of Scotland, plenty of outdoor activities, just wish there was more city centre change happening - Dundee are making a right fool out of our council. Quote
tom_widdows Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Posted February 6, 2015 With regards to Union street if the council and residents really want to take action then there needs to be a major rethink on the rental values of every single commercial unit. If the only people who can afford or are willing to set up shop on Union street are indeed the likes of Poundland or Ladbrookes then would it be preferable for the Council to refuse their licenses and have those shops remain empty and risk making the streetscape even worse? Quote
manc_don Posted July 1, 2015 Report Posted July 1, 2015 This is probably as good a place as any to post this. Would have been great had this been thought about before all the other "developments" had taken place: http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/how-aberdeen-is-learning-lessons-from-glasgow-in-approved-city-masterplan.130028448 Quote
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