The dream team poised to bring Union Street’s upper floors back to life has been revealed – with some of Aberdeen’s biggest names in property stepping up to the plate.
Aberdeen Inspired has recruited some of the city’s top architects, retail boffins, and real estate experts to come up with a transformation plan for high street’s upstairs.
Almost one in five ground-level units on the Granite Mile currently lie empty, while demand for office space has plummeted since the pandemic.
This has left the upper floors of Union Street largely vacant, with a number of them now falling into decay plagued with unsightly weeds.
Determined to change that, Aberdeen Inspired commissioned a £15,000 study to find out what are the main problems and how they can fix them.
And now, the BID group has revealed the 12 experts who will be leading the efforts.
Who are the team of retail masterminds?
The list of members for Aberdeen Inspired’s upper floor taskforce is a who’s who of Granite City specialists – ranging from letting agents to developers and architects.
All of them will be visiting the upper floor spaces in the coming months, before “deciding how best to communicate their findings to owners and stakeholders.”
The end goal is to not only fix up the vacant units but also work out the best way to promote them and bring them back into use.
Leading the charge is Iain Nicholson of The Vacant Shops Academy, who previously told The Press and Journal about his ambitious vision for Union Street.
And now, his dream of a bustling city centre is one step closure to fruition.
He said: “The ambition is to create a comprehensive strategy, which would help get as much of this wasted space back into use as possible.
“The panel will visit each of the currently empty and available upper floors spaces one-by-one and work out potential solutions so would-be occupiers can have a clearer perspective on what is possible.”
Salvesen Tower saviour joins Union Street upper floors crusade
Iain will now be joined by property experts from some of the city’s biggest firms, including real estate veteran Hamish Munro from Standard Real Estate (SRE).
Mr Munro is one of the masterminds behind the transformation of Salvesen Tower, near Aberdeen’s north harbour, which is now run under the new name Union Point.
His group saved the office block from demolition after purchasing it in 2019, and spent more than £1.5 million on bringing it up to scratch.
SRE also owns Caledonian House on 234 Union Street, which is undergoing a £5m revamp in a bid to bring scores of new workers onto the Granite Mile.
Revamp guru to share expertise on how best to spruce up upper floors
Cater Group property manager Steve Choi, who is the leading force behind dozens of a ambitious revamp projects across Aberdeen, has also joined the elite league.
Mr Choi is also no stranger to the Granite Mile’s upper floors, having just finished turning the upper floors of 173 Union Street into plush luxury apartments.
The group is also working on creating 15 flats for Hillcrest Homes at 181 Union Street next door, and are on the verge of bringing “eyesore” Atholl House back to life.
Architects drafted in to save Union Street upper floors
Alongside these property magnates, the business improvement district (Bid) have also enlisted the help of Aberdeen’s top architects.
Richard Tinto, of Tinto Architecture, will be wading in on how to turn the grotty and desolate upstairs into a vibrant and bustling community.
His firm are currently overseeing the revamp of the former John Lewis into a go-karting mecca, along with the much-anticipated revamp of Belmont Cinema.
The Aberdeen-based designer also has previous experience in bringing Union Street’s upper floors back to life.
Plans drawn up by Mr Tinto are currently in place for the empty space above the Tag Heuer showroom for fancy apartments.
Others to join him in the upstairs crusade are Shona Boyd from Shepherd Chartered Surveyors, Neil Rothnie from Create Studio Architecture, and Chris Smith from Davidson Smith Architects.
Their expertise will be combined with that of prominent city centre leaders such as Ross Grant, from Aberdeen Inspired, and David White, from Our Union Street.
Sepideh Hajisoltani, Alex Ferguson and Gavin Whyte from Aberdeen City Council will also weigh in as the local authority’s building and conservation experts.
How will building boffins turn around Union Street upper floors?
Adrian Watson, chief executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said the formation of the panel is a huge milestone in their ongoing efforts to revive the city’s “neglected” high street.
He said: “If you look at the many exciting possibilities for these spaces you will see a fantastic mix of homes, shops, hospitality, arts, offices and health services.
“No one is underestimating the challenges here, but we now have a panel of outstanding experts from different fields, all working together to give advice and guidance for owners to make the best use of Union Street’s upper floors.”
Read more:
- Union Street: How will Aberdeen fill the upper floors of the Granite Mile?
- Exclusive: High street expert on mission to bring vacant Union Street upper floors back to life
- ‘Eyesore’ Atholl House could become shops and cafes in heart of Aberdeen
- INSIDE luxury new Union Street flats after major makeover of ‘derelict’ block
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