DIRECT stakeholder engagement started on Weds 1 Dec with businesses and residents in the Belmont Street Quarter, to shape what the outdoor eating areas will look like and take into consideration their operational requirements.
Aberdeen City Council’s city growth and resources committee last month agreed the changes for key streets in the heart of the city centre including Belmont Street, Little Belmont Street, Gaelic Lane, and Back Wynd.
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These changes build on the recent temporary outdoor café culture and will provide a future-proofed outdoor space for business and public seating to enliven the area, creating a permanent on-street café culture in the Belmont Street Quarter. It will also create space in favour of pedestrians and encourage footfall.
A business case and operational model for the permanent café culture is now being developed in consultation with local traders, with a report on the findings to be presented at the council’s city growth and resources committee in February 2022.
Aberdeen City Council city growth and resources committee convener Councillor Ryan Houghton said: “The permanent outdoor eating areas in the Belmont Street Quarter and part of a raft of exciting changes which are happening in Aberdeen.
“These multi-million-pound projects will create a more vibrant and people-friendly city centre and will help to heal the city from the economic damage inflicted by COVID-19 by breathing new life into our city centre, boosting job creation, and promoting a wealth of opportunities to allow businesses and traders to thrive.
“I’d encourage everyone in the area to take part in this consultation and it’s vitally important we understand what the operational requirements are for local businesses in the area as well as help shape the finer details so we can progress this exciting new chapter in the Belmont Street and Back Wynd area.”
The improvements to the Belmont Street Quarter are part of the City Centre Masterplan (CCMP), which is designed to invigorate the area over 25 years with both public and private investment. First approved in 2015, the CCMP has had several achievements to date including the completion of the award-winning Aberdeen Art Gallery, the completion of Provost Skene’s House, the Music Hall, Marischal Square, and Broad Street.
Over the coming months, the regeneration of Union Terrace Gardens will finish providing a wheelchair-accessible multi-function space in the city centre park including a playpark for the first time.
Other current CCMP projects include city centre improvements, a new Aberdeen Market, and Queen Street.
