Aberdeen's been sold for a pocket full of gold

This is the post I didn’t want to write, the one I’d been dreading, the words we hoped need never be typed.  We lost.  Peacock Visual Arts are in dire straits now as their previously approved building, with 75% funding, has been tossed aside by Aberdeen City Councillors in favour of a pipe dream that will destroy our much loved Union Terrace Gardens.  I am sick.  Two days have passed and I’m still angry, disgusted and feel thoroughly cheated.

It took a marthon debating session and a series of bizarre votes to kill off a wonderful proposal in favour of a bloody awful one.  The point at which the Peacock proposal was killed was a 14-14 split vote with the casting vote from Lord Provost Stephen tipping in ACSEFS favour.  The news reports stating that Peacock were defeated 20-7 are wrong, that was for the final vote as to which version of City Square the council would approve.  They went for the one which would cost us all a lot of money and in doing so have sold out democracy in the north-east, made us a laughing stock nationally and lost all trust they may have had with the creative community here in Aberdeenshire.  The Lord Provost even had the gall to turn up at the Aberdeen Artists do the next night, before retreating after having the error of his ways pointed out to him.

The council meeting was a sham.  Again we were accused of being an orchestrated campaign, spreading misinformation and behaving inappropriatly.  A disgusting tactic from our business and civic leaders.  ACSEF, the Council and Sir Ian Wood are liars, continually saying whatever they can just to gain favour with the public:

• We are currently being told that there was always a plan for a contemporary arts centre within City Square – LIE! ACSEF took out an advert in the Press and Journal attacking Peacock when they launched the consultation and Sir Ian Wood went on record to say no one was interested in Art, they had no intention of considering an arts centre till they realised people actually wanted it.
• We were told during the consultation that City Square would be funded by Scottish Government Capital funding – LIE!  They are now looking at changing the law so that they can take out a big loan based on future increases in business rates, which the council would pay the interest on(a mere £150 million over 25 years, if it’s on budget).  So, that’ll be small businesses down the tubes then as well as the council.
• We were told that the consultation would be open and transparent – LIE!  The question “Do you support City Square Project?” was preanswered with a ‘Yes’ which many people missed.  So those who had left comments clearly opposed to CSP were recorded as a ‘Yes’ vote.  Sneaky eh?
• We were told that the CSP wouldn’t be a car park or have shops – LIE!  The ACSEF commissioned feasability study states that the underground area would be used for a car park and have retail outlets to complement existing shopping centres.  Sir Ian Wood himself stated the CSP would be like Covent Garden, that popular shopping arcade in London.
• We were told Sir Ian would walk away if the public did not back his plan – LIE!  55% of the public voted against City Square in a consultation that was heavily weighted towards voting for it, yet he still didn’t take the hint  Instead he took it to council, and they let us down.
• We have been told that those who oppose CSP have spread misinformation – LIE!  Oddly enough, they’re never too keen to give a specific example because when they do we point out that we got it from their own feasability study.  See their moans about us talking about a concrete square, car parks, shops and the fact it would be bigger than Red Square in Moscow.
• ACSEF and Sir Ian told us the gardens were dangerous – LIE!  A pro-UTG campaigner obtained the crime statistics for Union Terrace Gardens and found that not one violent crime had been reported there and they were statistically the safest place in the city centre, amazing what you can find out just by actually checking!
• The gardens are underused – LIE!  They were underused during the consultation, but then so was any outdoor space during the harshest winter we’ve had for years.  It’s a different story this week as temperatures nudge the mid-20′s and sun starved Aberdonians rush to the gardens.

All these lies were reitirated at the full council meeting, by members of ACSEF and councillors.  The Lord Provost himself read out a letter from the head of Oil and Gas UK which repeated the other big lie of the CSP campaign, that Aberdeen is doomed if it doesn’t build City Square.  This kind of scaremongering and emotional blackmail should have no place in a council meeting and to be read out by the Lord Provost himself was disgraceful.

Clearly something is rotten at ACC, unfortunately we must wait 2 years before we can gut it to it’s core.  As a result of the problems at the last local council/scottish government elections, local elections were postponed for a year giving the councillors an extra year in office.

Worst in all this has been the coverage from our local press, not normally known for the quality of their journalism I know but this time they have really outdone themselves.  They have worked closely with ACSEF throughout the campaign to discredit the opposition and promote CSP as much as possible, even launching an audacious story the day before the vote.  This fantastical piece of journalism portrayed Stewart Milne as a desperate deal broker with the best interests of Aberdeen at his heart, offering a prime piece of his real estate empire to Peacock as a new home if only they’d agree to CSP.  Which is fine, had it actually happened.  Instead ACSEF just told the press that this had happened and they published it anyway, at least the Press and Journal had a quote from Peacock explaining they had received no such offer but they still portrayed Milne as peacemaker.  All the time ignoring the fact that Triple Kirks, the site in question, had been discounted right at the start of Peacocks design process as far too costly to convert.

They also ran a story alongside the news that the Council had approved the Square, about the shock closure of 4 schools due to lack of funding.  I mean, really, it’s like they’re just gifting us ammunition sometimes.  The news stories were side by side!  At least make us look for it otherwise it’s no fun!

And today, as news broke of the first post-vote casualty at Peacock – Elly Rothnie, Campaign Director, being made redundant as there is no Campaign left to run – the Press and Journal article sounded almost sympathetic and surprised.  Pretty rich considering they were a key factor in her redundancy. Peacock need help, so please get over there and do what you can.

The press and council also appear a little surprised that we’ve taken this badly.  Trotting out the same tired nonsense about personal attacks and vitriolic arguments.  Well it shows we care.  I think allegations of outright corruption are dangerous, but it’s clear that logic was left at the door that day.  They didn’t make a decision based on fact, evidence or intelligence so it must have been based on something else.

So, what happens now?  A few days of reflection I guess.  Lots of letter writing to councillors, either thanking them or berating them, letters to MP’s and MSP’s and to government ministers.  Oh, and we fight.  We keep fighting.  If ACSEF thought there was an orchestrated campaign before then they’re in for a shock now, we will campaign tirelessly, we will lobby and we will march.  This won’t end until they cut the chains off us and tear us from the gardens.  There will be an official protest announced soon, until then we gather in the gardens and have a good time.  Talk to your colleagues, friends and acquantices.  Get angry, get other people angry. They will bankrupt this city for some crazy crazy pipe dream that has no proven economic benefit to the area, that we don’t want and which has been laughed at by respected architects all over the country.  They are closing schools, not fixing roads and laying people off yet apparently can afford to spend £150 million(at least!) on a big new square.  GET ANGRY!

WE VOTED AGAINST THIS AND THEY IGNORED US, WE ELECTED THEM TO SPEAK FOR US YET THEY SPEAK FOR AN ELITE GROUP OF BUSINESSMEN INSTEAD!  WE WANT DEMOCRACY!  WE WILL FIGHT FOR OUR GARDENS!

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