Could a roofless Trinity Centre be Aberdeen’s answer to the foodie havens of Mayfair and Soho?
It’s an idea that immediately came to Richard Tinto when asked by The P&J what he would do with the Union Street site.
The founder of Tinto Architecture would lop the top off and establish an open-air food and drinks arcade.
And it could become the city’s next big-money purchase, soon after the council bought and demolished the former BHS building.
Planning chiefs say the sale is an “opportunity” given the mall sits in a “strategic intervention area” in the city centre.
They’ve said putting it to another use in the future could help to “further improve the profile of Union Street”.
Tinto’s vision for Trinity Centre: Aberdeen’s Heddon Street
Mr Tinto told us Heddon Street “immediately sprung to mind” when he heard about the potential for the city to buy the shopping centre.
On the edge of Mayfair and Soho, the little dead-end street off Regent Street is full of bustling bars and restaurants.
“Anything is possible with a little bit of imagination,” the pro-pedestrianisation businessman excitedly told The P&J.
“The thing about doing it in Aberdeen is that the weather doesn’t allow us to do it all the time.
“It’s on the sunny side of the street and there is nice wide pavement outside.
“Perhaps we could begin to introduce some to the cafe culture that has been spoken about.
“Heddon Street is a very tight, sheltered lane but it is open to the sky. It almost feels like being inside outside and perhaps we could do something creative like that.”
New food and drinks alley could add to revamped UTG experience
Across the road, the £28m revamp of Union Terrace Gardens will soon be completed.
The Trinity foodie arcade could complement the new-look UTG, adding more choice than the three commercial pavilions built during the refurb.
What do you think should be done with the Trinity Centre if it’s put up for sale? Share your views in the comments section below.
Upstairs, Mr Tinto believes there could be co-working offices to draw more people back to the city centre.
The three floors of the empty Debenhams premises would be an ideal spot for that, he reckons.
Does Aberdeen need the Trinity Centre revamp as well as its new market?
Aberdeen is already spending £50m building a new food and drink market further down Union Street.
The redevelopment of the BHS and 1970s indoor market sites is also hoped to improve visitors’ first impressions of Aberdeen.
Despite that work already underway, Mr Tinto believes there is “plenty of space” for the Heddon Street-inspired Trinity Centre makeover too.
He added: “It may be an opportunity for Aberdeen City Council to encourage the kind of transformative change that all towns and cities are requiring in order to get people back.
“It’s the old adage: live, work and play.
“What we thought worked previously – what is failing now – is definitely not the solution for the future.
“The council taking stewardship of this would allow them enough influence to bring the right type of businesses back.
“If they were thinking of acquiring the Trinity Centre, it would be a real stroke, a good strategic move.”
Trinity Centre’s Heddon Street makeover: A test case for Union Street pedestrianisation
The north-east developer was on the losing side of the Union Street pedestrianisation debate.
But he believes his proposal could demonstrate how vehicle-free principles could be applied in the future.
The question looks settled for the next five years – but could be revisited by a future council.
In the meantime, Mr Tinto suggests the semi-sheltered space would offer a safe spot for people with mobility issues.
Their continued access to the central Market Street to Bridge Street stretch was a key factor in allowing buses back along the Granite Mile.
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