Millions more has been added to the costs of refurbishing Union Terrace Gardens and Aberdeen Art Gallery.
Council chiefs have lifted the lid on a confidential settlement struck with contractors McLaughlin and Harvey to keep the gallery row out of court.
Meanwhile, the price of the UTG project has soared upwards of £30 million.
And now the extra financial burden for the cash-strapped local authority has been laid bare in a new report by top officials.
But millions scraped from the price of a new city school will cushion the blow.
Union Terrace Gardens: Final cost soars from £25.7 million to £32.2 million
When it was eventually agreed upon, after decades of rowing, the Union Terrace Gardens revamp was initially expected to cost £25.7 million.
Inflation, global crises and the Covid pandemic were later blamed for driving the price up to £29.8 million.
Now, chief capital officer John Wilson has revealed the already-inflated price has been forced up again.
Despite the last-minute eight-month postponement of the grand reopening of UTG, contractor Balfour Beatty has negotiated an additional £2.35 million now the gardens have reopened.
But that was before, as Mr Wilson puts it, “necessary variations instructed and claims throughout the project” were considered.
The council and Balfour Beatty – which was forced to apologise in June 2021 for the granite-gate fury – have agreed the final cost of Union Terrace Gardens should be £32.2 million.
This one final price hike comes eight months after the rushed pre-Christmas opening of the gardens last year.
Aberdeen Art Gallery: Legal wrangle drives final cost up to £36.4 million
Meanwhile, years after the reopening of Aberdeen Art Gallery, the full cost has been revealed.
Extensive renovation work at the A-listed Victorian venue began in 2015.
It took two years longer than hoped to reopen in November 2019.
And McLaughlin and Harvey and the council were at loggerheads for another two years before, finally, a court date was set.
The details of the case have, until now, remained secret.
But in his report prepared for the city finance committee, Mr Wilson has revealed all as he tries to balance the books.
Asking for an additional £1.8 million from contingency budgets, the project now appears to have cost £36.4 million all-in.
The job was first agreed at £30 million.
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Chief capital officer Wilson wrote: “Members will recall that a dispute had crystallised between the council and the contractor for the Aberdeen Art Gallery.
“Prior to the Court of Session appearance an agreed settlement was reached to settle all outstanding issues.
“To this end, a confidential settlement agreement was agreed in accordance with governance protocol.
“Now that a year has passed it is considered appropriate that the project expenditure is consolidated and the capital aspect of the project is concluded.”
Both of the council settlements, with Balfour Beatty and McLaughlin and Harvey, have been backed by external legal advisors.
Savings from Riverbank School renegotiation cushion the blow
And, they will be covered by savings made in Tillydrone.
Facing paying millions more for a replacement Riverbank School, the council scrapped their agreed contract and went back to the market to look at other options.
Already, money clawed back has been used to cover increased costs of the Willie Miller Cruyff Court sports pitch to be built next to the new primary.
But now, Mr Wilson is asking councillors to put another £4.2 million into the local authority’s contingencies.
Meanwhile, £300,000 not spent on the new Milltimber School could go towards the expected cost of temporary classrooms at Bucksburn Academy.
Conversation