Plans for a £4.3million replacement for a disability centre that was destroyed in a blaze in Aberdeen are gathering pace.
The Burnside Day Centre in Mastrick was ruined in last year’s fire, which took 60 firefighters more than 16 hours to extinguish.
Yesterday, councillors approved the final budget for the replacement centre – which is due to be completed and open by next December.
The new unit will cater to the 80 adults with learning disabilities who currently use the nearby Rosehill Day Centre, as well as
the disabled people who were originally displaced when the Burnside Centre closed down in 2010.
There will be office space for 40 professional staff from Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian, as well as the possibility of a cafe and sensory garden.
Angela Taylor, the convener of the city council’s education and children’s services committee, said: “I think this is a really good news story for the council.
“We are providing a centre for around 80 vulnerable adults with severe learning and physical disabilities, a state-of-the-art facility that will act as a one-stop shop for service users.
“It is also the result of close partnership working with NHS Grampian, and the fact that it is due for completion in December 2016 is great news for the city.”
Committee member Martin Greig said: “The new centre will really help by providing good levels of care and support to those in need. I am particularly pleased that this will be a wide-ranging facility with the aim of offering various support services and activities in the evenings and weekends, as well as during the day.”