A granite-built street is in danger of losing its place as Aberdeen’s “jewel in the crown” as more offices move in, a leading academic has warned.
Professor Ferdinand von Prondzynski, vice-chancellor of Robert Gordon University, said Queen’s Road – part of one of the city’s first conservation areas – risked being “stripped of character” as office owners ripped out gardens to become car parks.
Its transformation from a salubrious Victorian residential area of the city’s west end to a professional office hub continues apace as a new development takes shape at 32-24 on the historic tree-lined street.
The distinctive Rubislaw toll house, established in 1837, is being renovated to become an office. The property, formerly the popular Olive Grove restaurant, was acquired by Aberdeen Drilling Consultants in August.
Prof von Prondzynski raised concerns about the urban deterioration caused by offices driving out residents.
He said: “The whole area is one of the remaining jewels in Aberdeen’s crown.
“You are always anxious to ensure whatever development takes place along there doesn’t strip it of its character.
“Planners should be very careful about what happens to it.
“Queen’s Road wasn’t built as an office road. It has increasingly changed its character.”
He said the road, where the substantial granite houses are mostly listed buildings, was still surrounded by a number of residential streets, which meant the “risk was smaller” and that the look of the area remained smart rather than neglected.
Angus MacCuish, managing director of property agency F.G. Burnett, said the street’s transformation had been quickened by its designation as the “west end office area” by city planners.
The removal of planning restrictions had led to a “whole new ballgame” that saw properties transformed from houses to offices, allowing extensions to the rear and car parks, he added.
As a result, the area had become much more attractive to property investors.
Mr MacCuish said: “The change has been ongoing for quite some time. Commercial uses have been established for longer than people might think.”
He noted that one of the first commercial encroachments on the street was law firm Raeburn Christie moving into 70 Queen’s Road.
Only a few residences now remain, including number 15 and a flatted development accessed via Albyn Lane.
Number 50, the grade A-listed gothic masterpiece designed by J.B. Pirie, is now owned by an oil and gas executive.
Thirty years ago, the Press and Journal reported a “storm of protest” over another family home on the street being sold to become a hotel.
The property is next door to the turreted Sportsman’s Club, which itself was formerly the lord provost’s home before it became a private members’ club in the 1950s.
Prof von Prondzynsk said: “The one negative thing about development is what ought to be front gardens being turned into car parks. That does have an impact on the character of the area.
“There ought usually to be a mixed use – a key element of that is there should always be a significant element of residential accommodation.”