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Union Terrace Gardens playpark could cost more than £400,000

Union Terrace Gardens, pictured from Aberdeen Art Gallery, in July.
Union Terrace Gardens, pictured from Aberdeen Art Gallery, in July.

More than £400,000 could be set aside to pay for a new playpark in Aberdeen’s Union Terrace Gardens.

The city centre park is currently undergoing a multi-million-pound revamp.

And councillors will on Wednesday be asked to sign-off on committing up to £430,000 for a new park as part of the £28 million refurbishment.

Local authority chiefs hope work in the Victorian gardens could be completed by the end of 2021, reopening the space to the public with all but some seasonal planting to be done.

Work, which was hit by controversy earlier this year when protected UTG granite was left at an “unapproved” spot in a private Cults driveway, is hoped to end a decades-long fight over the future of the sloping green space.

An artist's impression of the completed Union Terrace Gardens works.
An artist’s impression of the completed Union Terrace Gardens works.

The project includes a new grand staircase into the park from Rosemount Viaduct, better lighting, ramps and a lift to improve accessibility.

Additionally, three new pavilions have been put up on the edge of the gardens to draw visitors in, while the Victorian mosaic-walled toilets, arches and granite balustrades have undergone restoration and strengthening.

The scheme also brought the installation of lifesaving barriers on Union Bridge in Union Street – a spot which has for a long time been associated with mental health dangers.

A proposed playpark is another part of the plan for the gardens, nestled below Union Terrace within the Denburn Valley.

The princely £430,000 sum would, if approved, come from a Scottish Government grant, money aimed at revitalising community-led regeneration.

Aberdeen City Council has been awarded £975,000 from the £38m Place Based Investment Programme Fund this year – with plans for the remainder yet to be agreed.

Councillors will on Wednesday decide whether to commit the £430,000 to the Union Terrace Gardens playpark, with proposals for the other £545,000 to be drawn up in November.

Members will receive a private briefing on the matter during a meeting of the city growth committee, due to the sensitive financial information to be considered.

If backed, chief capital officer John Wilson will be delegated power to source a company to supply and install the new playpark.

This article originally appeared on the Evening Express website. For more information, read about our new combined website.