Marcliffe boss ‘ashamed’ of Aberdeen city centre

AN ABERDEEN hotelier today said he was so ashamed of how the Granite City looked that he warns guests to wear blindfolds if they go there.

Stuart Spence, who owns the five-star Marcliffe at Pitfodels, said the only way to restore civic pride was to back a proposal for a new heart for Aberdeen.

Mr Spence’s call for a new focal point for Aberdeen came as a group of business leaders urged people to vote “yes” in a public consultation on The City Square.

Mr Spence, whose hotel has hosted guests such as Donald Trump, the Manchester United football team and former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, said: “I say to my guests, if you’re going into Aberdeen’s city centre you’d better wear a blindfold.

“When I was a youngster people would dress up to go into town because of the pride they took in the city, but that’s gone. I’m ashamed.

“I travel to cities in northern Europe and they have a vibrant café culture – but we have nothing.”

Aberdeen tycoon Sir Ian Wood has pledged £50 million towards the square, which would cover the space between Union Street, Union Terrace, Rosemount Viaduct and Belmont Street.

Mr Spence said: “It could bring Aberdeen back to life.”

A public consultation on the Aberdeen’s city square proposal is set to end on Friday.

An independent poll for the Evening Express showed less than one in 10 people in the Aberdeen area have made their views known on the proposal.

A group of nine business leaders and prominent citizens in the Aberdeen area today called on people to speak up, and pledged to invest.

dewen@ajl.co.uk