I would like to draw your attention to the following, as I think the following situation is an absolute disgrace and the international architects' community should speak up.
Despite it is the 21st century and this is the UK, which should be a democratic, modern European country, things are being run in Aberdeen like it's a banana republic. A beautiful and sensitive design for a new art centre by Brisac Gonzalez Architects in the historic city centre gardens, with full planning permission and 75% of its funding in place, is currently being railroaded over by a rich oil tycoon who wants to concrete over the entire park and build underground car-parking and shops in its place.
It seems money is once again power, and the city council stands with its back against the wall and doesn't dare to speak up against the rich man, as the rich man is dangling a £50m carrot in front of the city's nose (despite the fact that the city is asked to drum up the other £50m needed, from the public purse). The rich man's team has now started a 'public consultation' process, which is led by a PR company, appointed by themselves... For more background info, scroll down.
We need the help of the international community to tell the city council that:
1) concreting over an historic city centre park is against all current thinking about urbanism and architecture.
2) a public consultation should ask people if they want to get rid of the public gardens in the first place, not what they would like to see in a new concrete square without having a say in whether to have square at all.
I would be ever so grateful if you could sign the petition below, leave any comments on there and send it on.
SAVE UNION TERRACE GARDENS AND ABERDEEN'S NEW CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Union Terrace Gardens is a beautiful Victorian park in Aberdeen’s city centre. It has for generations been the city’s lung and the only green space in the city centre. Peacock Visual Arts, is an educational charity and one of Scotland’s leading arts organisations. Both the Gardens and Peacock are under threat from a new development which will destroy both parkland and plans for a stunning new cultural facility in the heart of this public space.
In 2002 Peacock embarked on a development to deliver a major new arts centre for Aberdeen and the North-east. The centre would both re-house the soon-to-be homeless Peacock and would deliver a wider vision for the region as a whole. Taking inspiration from the success of cities like Newcastle-Gateshead Liverpool and Dundee, the iconic new building was to be a touchstone for cultural regeneration attracting 200,000 visitors and bringing around £5m to the city each year.
Peacock had spent ten years developing the plans for the new arts centre: building a detailed business plan; securing over £9.5million in capital funding; attracting widespread popular and political support and appointing architects Brisac Gonzalez to the project. In March 2008 the finished design for the new arts centre won acclaim from both city residents and the architectural community for its sensitivity to the garden's historic and ecological environment and received full planning permission.
By September 2008 Peacock had secured 75% of the total building costs. With their fundraising campaign on-track they were set to deliver a stunning new facility for the North-east. Then something happened.
On 11 November 2008 Sir Ian Wood, chairman of oil company The Wood Group announced plans to resurrect a 25 year old scheme to concrete over the existing Victorian gardens to form a civic square with an underground concourse and car park, thus creating around 8 acres of new real estate in the city centre. The scheme, estimated to cost a minimum of £150 million will be partially funded by Sir Ian’s donation of £50 million on condition that this figure is match-funded from the public purse, wins popular support and fills in the gardens in their entirety.
This new scheme not only destroys a mature green space, public park and the unique topography of the city but also necessitates the abandonment of the new arts centre and the loss of all the funding attached to it. If this goes ahead Aberdeen will lose a beautiful piece of its environmental heritage and a vital part of its cultural future.
Peacock's centre was designed to be sympathetic to Union Terrace Gardens by retaining its green space. As Sir Ian Wood's proposal involves filling in the Gardens in their entirety, they cannot co-exist.
Surely it can't be allowed in the 21st century for a modern city to destroy its only city centre park?
Please help to convince the City that people do not want to lose the Gardens as a beautiful piece of our environmental heritage, and Peacock as a vital part of Aberdeen's cultural future.
Undemocratic practices in Aberdeen, UK; Please help!!
Hello everyone,
I would like to draw your attention to the following, as I think the following situation is an absolute disgrace and the international architects' community should speak up.
Despite it is the 21st century and this is the UK, which should be a democratic, modern European country, things are being run in Aberdeen like it's a banana republic. A beautiful and sensitive design for a new art centre by Brisac Gonzalez Architects in the historic city centre gardens, with full planning permission and 75% of its funding in place, is currently being railroaded over by a rich oil tycoon who wants to concrete over the entire park and build underground car-parking and shops in its place.
It seems money is once again power, and the city council stands with its back against the wall and doesn't dare to speak up against the rich man, as the rich man is dangling a £50m carrot in front of the city's nose (despite the fact that the city is asked to drum up the other £50m needed, from the public purse). The rich man's team has now started a 'public consultation' process, which is led by a PR company, appointed by themselves... For more background info, scroll down.
We need the help of the international community to tell the city council that:
1) concreting over an historic city centre park is against all current thinking about urbanism and architecture.
2) a public consultation should ask people if they want to get rid of the public gardens in the first place, not what they would like to see in a new concrete square without having a say in whether to have square at all.
I would be ever so grateful if you could sign the petition below, leave any comments on there and send it on.
http://gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-new-contemporary-art-centre-in-union-terrace-gardens.html
Many thanks!
SAVE UNION TERRACE GARDENS AND ABERDEEN'S NEW CENTRE FOR CONTEMPORARY ART
Union Terrace Gardens is a beautiful Victorian park in Aberdeen’s city centre. It has for generations been the city’s lung and the only green space in the city centre. Peacock Visual Arts, is an educational charity and one of Scotland’s leading arts organisations. Both the Gardens and Peacock are under threat from a new development which will destroy both parkland and plans for a stunning new cultural facility in the heart of this public space.
In 2002 Peacock embarked on a development to deliver a major new arts centre for Aberdeen and the North-east. The centre would both re-house the soon-to-be homeless Peacock and would deliver a wider vision for the region as a whole. Taking inspiration from the success of cities like Newcastle-Gateshead Liverpool and Dundee, the iconic new building was to be a touchstone for cultural regeneration attracting 200,000 visitors and bringing around £5m to the city each year.
Peacock had spent ten years developing the plans for the new arts centre: building a detailed business plan; securing over £9.5million in capital funding; attracting widespread popular and political support and appointing architects Brisac Gonzalez to the project. In March 2008 the finished design for the new arts centre won acclaim from both city residents and the architectural community for its sensitivity to the garden's historic and ecological environment and received full planning permission.
By September 2008 Peacock had secured 75% of the total building costs. With their fundraising campaign on-track they were set to deliver a stunning new facility for the North-east. Then something happened.
On 11 November 2008 Sir Ian Wood, chairman of oil company The Wood Group announced plans to resurrect a 25 year old scheme to concrete over the existing Victorian gardens to form a civic square with an underground concourse and car park, thus creating around 8 acres of new real estate in the city centre. The scheme, estimated to cost a minimum of £150 million will be partially funded by Sir Ian’s donation of £50 million on condition that this figure is match-funded from the public purse, wins popular support and fills in the gardens in their entirety.
This new scheme not only destroys a mature green space, public park and the unique topography of the city but also necessitates the abandonment of the new arts centre and the loss of all the funding attached to it. If this goes ahead Aberdeen will lose a beautiful piece of its environmental heritage and a vital part of its cultural future.
Peacock's centre was designed to be sympathetic to Union Terrace Gardens by retaining its green space. As Sir Ian Wood's proposal involves filling in the Gardens in their entirety, they cannot co-exist.
Surely it can't be allowed in the 21st century for a modern city to destroy its only city centre park?
Please help to convince the City that people do not want to lose the Gardens as a beautiful piece of our environmental heritage, and Peacock as a vital part of Aberdeen's cultural future.
Please sign the petition now and help build the pressure:
http://gopetition.com/petitions/save-the-new-contemporary-art-centre-in-union-terrace-gardens.html
To find out more about the Campaign and the public park that is under threat please visit: http://www.peacockvisualarts.com/archive/227/arts-centre-update
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