Plans for a major modern-arts centre in Aberdeen are in jeopardy in light of a new redevelopment scheme proposed for the city centre.
The campaign to launch the £13.1m art gallery, which was originally set to open this year, is led by the Peacock Visual Arts organisation, which had planning permission to build in Union Terrace Gardens.
But a new development scheme, the City Square project, involves raising the gardens to street level, and covering over the surrounding railway and dual carriageway.
The project is led by the development body Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future (ACSEF) which comprises Scottish Enterprise, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce, Skills Development Scotland, VisitScotland, the city and shire councils and private sector representatives.
The City Square website says: “The proposal will cost £120m-£140m. It will require a significant investment in the infrastructure of our city. [Businessman] Sir Ian Wood has pledged £50m to the scheme but we will need to raise funds for the balance.
“The project will not seek to source funds from Aberdeen City Council’s annual budget.
“We want a contemporary-arts centre that meets the needs and fulfils the ambitions of Peacock and the wider arts community. An iconic building within these parameters could meet some of Peacock’s existing design requirements.”
The site also claims that its plan for an arts centre will be cheaper to develop than the Peacock’s current design. But Elly Rothnie, Peacock’s campaign director, said:
“If the current Peacock design does not go ahead as planned, this month we will lose £4.3m of Scottish Arts Council lottery funding – the linchpin of our package. Peacock’s lease also runs out in two years.
"We acknowledge that ACSEF has consistently said there is a place for us within the square. But if we are homeless and without funding, the offer becomes academic.”
Public consultation on the City Square project closes on 5 March.