Oh, Union Street, what will we do with you?
The city’s Granite Mile is certainly a talking-point amongst candidates for the upcoming council election, especially amid the recent closures of Boots, Bravissimo and Bank of Scotland.
Between the pandemic, the looming cost-of-living crisis and online shopping, retail and hospitality face their biggest challenge yet – so what do people want on their high street?
Research carried out by Aberdeen Journals found that 82 units in the city centre lay completely empty – patiently waiting for their time to shine.
Bob Smith, who manages Aberdeen Vinyl Records, said he favours the idea of independent cafe’s and shops taking up empty spots on union street.
He said: “People are going to come to Union Street if they can find something that they can’t find in a shopping centre.
“If the council can work with independent businesses, whether they be cafes or retail shops – you’ve got to have unique selling points to bring people into the city.”
Stuart McPhee, manager of Siberia Vodka Bar on Belmont Street, agreed empty shops should be occupied by more cafes and also converted into residential areas.
He said: “The opening of the market and Union Terrace Gardens will hopefully stimulate footfall, but it needs to be realised that people don’t exist to fill Union Street.
“We need to be honest and talk about bringing residential settings on Union Street which would stimulate footfall and bring back a local community, but these all take time.”
‘I could have just cried’
Mary Gardiner, 71, is retired and often reflects back on the vibrant days of the Granite Mile that she says are no longer.
She said: “I had a walk down Union Street a couple of Saturdays ago from the top end to the bottom end and I could have just cried.
“I get annoyed when the council says ‘what are we going to do to the beach’ – concentrate on here, there’s nothing wrong with the beach, here is a disaster, it’s so sad to see.
“It should go back to retail, we’ve got enough cafes and pubs, I think we need to focus on getting retail back again.
“When you look up at the buildings, it used to be so vibrant and so busy. I know a lot of cities are in the same position but I would just like them to do something with Union Street.”
On the other hand, Gus Murray, a 64-year-old social worker from Aberdeen, agrees with Siberia manager that more empty buildings should be converted into residential spots.
He said: “They’re going to have to turn these empty buildings into houses…there are only so many restaurants and clothes shops you can actually have.”
Mr Murray would also like to see more independent businesses flourish within the new market complex: “I would without a doubt like to see more independent businesses, if there is the opportunity for people, then it would certainly be a lot nicer.”
Union Street is a ‘ghost town’
Many shoppers couldn’t help but point out that the Granite Mile just felt empty.
Denise Ross, from Aberdeen, used to be a regular shopper, but times have changed since the street became a “ghost town”.
She said: “I think we need to do something to encourage more businesses to apply to come to the city, but it needs to be more attractive for big shops to come in.
“They’ve got the big malls here there and everywhere, it takes away from the main street, it really is killing the city.
“Even in the last 10 years, it’s beginning to look like a ghost town.
“I’ve come in here today, walked from one end to the other but there is absolutely nothing, you just think ‘why do I bother?’”
Although last month there was a “glimmer of hope” as the number of empty shops fell for the first time in 2 years, but shoppers still feel at a loss.
John Lewis and Debenhams devastated the city last year with their stores closing for good, resulting in hundreds of job losses.
Dr. Martens, Shoe Zone and Ecco were among other high street retailers that said goodbye to Aberdeen last year.
Meanwhile, Aliza Kovacz, a 34-year-old resort manager, said she’d like to see Union Terrace Gardens open up as soon as possible, as well as vendors in the new market providing a variety of fresh food.
She said: “I think people were hoping for something better when they opened Marischal Square but it’s offices and just one or two restaurants and coffee shops.
“If it’s (the market) going to be more fresh food, like in other countries, that would be nice.”
Union Street needs a soul
Andrew and Mariane Yarnold, 52 and 50, from Inverbervie, said their first visit to Union Street post-pandemic was “depressing”.
They wish to see a livelier high street with regular summer festivals, markets with a shopping centre atmosphere.
Mrs Yarnold said: “This is the first time we have been into town since Covid and it’s depressing.
“The city needs a soul; it can’t just be a passing by street. All you see is run down shops, it’s not cheerful.”
Mr Yarnold said: “Once they open UTG, you almost want it to be an open Union Square so you’ve got somewhere to eat and shop, make it a destination.”
Opinion: Disheartening to hear dismissed Granite Mile plans
By Vanessa Walker
On my way to work I wandered down Union Street, which gave me the opportunity to take in my surroundings – which evidently didn’t take very long.
There wasn’t much to see apart from a half-hearted attempt at pedestrianisation put in place because of the pandemic. And there was easily less than half the number of people walking about compared to six years ago, and of course a grey desert of empty shops.
Student life in the city has dramatically changed in these six years of my university stint, and being from Aberdeen myself I’ve sadly been a witness to the deterioration of the city centre, as well as the rise of phone and vape shops.
If you were a school leaver from Edinburgh, Glasgow or beyond, would you devote four (of the best) years of your life to Aberdeen?
When visiting these cities, I always saunter about in awe of how many independent businesses are thriving on busy streets, so it’s always disheartening to hear of dismissed progress plans for our Granite Mile.
A lot of things need to be done to attract students to stay in Aberdeen after they graduate, and having a city centre to spend time in is one of them.
Taking a leaf out of our neighbours’ book, an ideal Union Street would see retail make a grand return, including a variety of independent businesses – seeing as I can’t remember the last time I went into town to buy clothes.
Using Glasgow’s Ashton Lane as an example, this could be our Belmont Street if we allowed outdoor seating areas for bars and cafes.
What never fails to amaze me is that it took a whole global pandemic for Aberdeen to realise it has potential for outdoor eating and beer gardens – and how quick they were to get rid of them.
Sadly, the neglect of Aberdeen’s city centre has led to a point where people no longer want to spend time on Union Street, and from speaking to shoppers, all they want is a high street.
