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Reopening of Aberdeen's historic Union Terrace Gardens cancelled

BBC Union Terrace GardensBBC
Tuesday's soft opening could not happen

The planned reopening of part of Aberdeen's historic Union Terrace Gardens (UTG) has been cancelled.

The gardens - which originally opened in 1879 - have been undergoing a £28m redevelopment since 2019.

A so-called soft opening of a section of UTG was expected, but on Tuesday morning the city council said that would no longer happen as scheduled.

The council said it was disappointed, but was acting on what it had been told by its contractor.

It has appeared clear in recent weeks there is still a considerable amount of work which needs to be done on the site.

The project was due to be completed last year, but that was put back to this year following delays caused in part by the pandemic.

Aberdeen City Council chief executive Angela Scott said: "The decision not to proceed with today's soft opening followed advice from our construction partner Balfour Beatty.

"The council is naturally disappointed that the event can't go ahead but we look forward to the full opening in due course."

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Balfour Beatty said: "External factors such as Covid-19 and more recently material supply issues continue to disrupt construction projects across the UK.

"As we move towards the anticipated completion of Union Terrace Gardens this summer we continue to work with our supply chain to minimise these effects."

It emerged last year that slab steps from UTG had been piled in a residential garden.

An Aberdeen City Council report later confirmed all materials previously stored at an "unapproved location" have been returned and stored securely.

Plans to breathe new life into the gardens had first received the council's backing in 2007.

But the following year, businessman Sir Ian Wood said he would contribute up to £50m towards a rival scheme to raise the gardens and develop a new street-level square.

Those plans were eventually rejected in 2012, when backing was instead given to proposals to improve the gardens.

Fresh plans for a revitalisation of the historic park were unveiled in December 2016, then given approval in 2018. Work began on the site the following year.