New proposals for Aberdeen's City Centre Masterplan project are to be revealed in the coming days as Aberdeen City Council and consultants BDP embark on the next phase of public consultation.

Themes for the development and regeneration of the city centre have emerged following consultation with the public.

The proposals are expected to deliver an additional 11,000 jobs and add £290m to the city's gross annual income. They include:

• Queen's Square: The transformation of the Queen Street area into a new mixed-use urban quarter;

• Castlegate/Castlehill: A vibrant public square will reinvigorate Castlegate/Castlehill;

• Denburn Valley: The reawakening of the Denburn Valley as the setting for a new generation of city living;

• Heart of the City: Pedestrianisation of part of Aberdeen's Union Street;

• Union Street West: A contemporary business/retail/leisure feel to the west end of Union Street and the renovation of Golden Square and Bon Accord Square as accessible green spaces;


• Station Gateway: Enhanced gateway and better pedestrian routes to and from the railway station to improve first impressions of Aberdeen;

• South Dee: A new pedestrian bridge across the Dee to link to a new residential community at South Dee and enhanced riverside promenade;

• North Dee: A new office and business quarter at North Dee

The multi-million pound proposals will be showcased at a series of public consultation events in and around Aberdeen from 14-29 March, beginning at the International Market on Saturday.

Councillor Marie Boulton, who chairs the cross-party City Centre Regeneration Working Group, said: "We have a wonderful opportunity to deliver a lasting legacy for Aberdeen and its people. It's terrific to see the public, the Council and the business and educational communities working together to produce a plan to maintain our city's rightful position as a leading world energy city.

"The proposals are challenging, but the opportunity to transform our city centre for the better and ensure Aberdeen remains a busy, flourishing, cosmopolitan city which continues to experience strong growth and attract international business interest as well as increased tourism levels, simply cannot be missed.

"Regeneration is about more than bricks and mortar and so the Masterplan will also give us a platform on which to build up and energise the city's cultural scene, with more performance and events space for the benefit of citizens, visitors and the performers themselves. Castlegate Collage.

"The public have played a very significant role throughout the consultation process in telling us what they wanted from their city and we believe our response reflects a shared ambition to shape Aberdeen for the long-term through robust, costed and achievable development."

(IT/MH)