Aberdeen’s Rev De Cuba is taking a novel approach to dealing with the city’s huge surplus of office buildings.
The colourful Caribbean-themed cocktail bar is expanding upwards by turning unwanted workspace into a huge new bar and dancefloor.
It will mean the venue off Belmont Street effectively doubles in size, allowing plenty more space for people to enjoy themselves.
This video shows the scale of the offices poised for transformation:
The proposal for the empty first and second-floor space at The Academy was lodged in July and has now been rubber-stamped by Aberdeen City Council.
More space for Havana good time
Floor plans show how the first storey is occupied by three vacant offices, while the second is “undeveloped”.
Rick Clarke, director of London-based Fabric APM, submitted the plans on behalf of Revolution Bars Group.
In a letter to the council, he said bringing the two upper floors back into use “would
help to attract further visitors to the area, boosting the economy”.
These recent images show people having fun at the club:
Why did the council approve the Rev De Cuba Aberdeen expansion plans?
Granting approval, council officers explained why they were willing to depart from their usual pro-retail policy for such a site.
A report states: “While this area is the preferred location for retail, it is unlikely that this unit would be used for retail, given its relatively ‘tucked away’ location…
“The proposed use is considered to be a suitable addition to this city centre location, which will increase footfall and enhance the surrounding area.”
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Rev De Cuba ‘brings sunshine to Aberdeen’
The tapas and cocktail venue took over the expansive ground floor space following the closure of Wagamama in 2015.
Described as a “rum lover’s paradise”, Rev De Cuba boasts of “bringing Cuban sunshine to the heart of the city”.
You can see the plans here.
Conversation