Long-awaited repairs to Aberdeen’s historic Mitchell Tower and Marischal College East (both part of the City Council HQ building) are finally poised to commence, nearly 18 months after initial expectations. However, these delays have in turn pushed the Council’s multi-million-pound Queen Street urban park project further behind schedule, and beyond the date of the next local elections.
The University of Aberdeen, which owns Marischal College but leases the majority to Aberdeen City Council, retains control over Marischal College East and Mitchell Hall, situated at the rear of the complex overlooking West North Street. The university disclosed in 2024 that the historic Mitchell Hall, previously a graduation venue until its mothballing in 2008, had sustained water damage. Furthermore, concerns were raised regarding the potential for loose masonry from Mitchell Tower, posing a risk to pedestrians below. The university attributed the necessary maintenance to “debris from pigeons and seagulls”.
While initial repairs were announced in February 2025 with an estimated completion time of “up to a year,” the project has experienced “unexpected delays.” An Aberdeen University spokeswoman stated: “The complex nature of the tower and surrounding buildings makes this a more challenging project, and this has prompted some unexpected delays. Work should start on the site in the coming weeks, with completion expected by summer 2027.”
The knock-on effect of these delays means the Aberdeen City Council’s Queen Street regeneration cannot commence until after the university’s work concludes, now projected for summer 2027. This timeline extends the Queen Street project beyond the May 2027 Scottish local elections, a “frustrating” outcome for the ruling SNP group.
The Queen Street urban park, a cornerstone pledge of the Scottish National Party (SNP) following their emergence as the largest group in the 2022 local elections, represents a significant investment in the city centre. The project includes plans for outdoor seating, informal performance spaces, a terraced garden, a sensory garden, and enhanced street greening. The broader regeneration scheme for Queen Street also involves the demolition of the former Aberdeen police headquarters, a seven-storey 1970s block, at a cost of £2.51 million.
Councillor Alex McLellan, SNP finance convener, acknowledged the setbacks but expressed optimism for the future. He told The Press and Journal:
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“It is positive to hear the university are carrying out the necessary works after a bit of delay. We have our plans for Queen Street, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure we can begin following the university’s works finishing. While it is frustrating these unforeseen works have delayed our plans, I appreciate the complex nature of buildings. We are investing significantly in our city centre with Union Street, the Market and the Castlegate, and I believe we will have improved the city centre significantly come the end of the council term.”
The SNP, in coalition with the Liberal Democrats, has overseen other major city centre regeneration projects, including work on Union Street Central, Castlegate and the beachfront, all of which have had ‘unforseen’ issues cause delays and slippage in initially-announced completion dates.
