The firm behind Aberdeen’s controversial Marischal Square scheme has revealed it hopes to attract a “big name” oil company to move into the offices.
Bosses at the developer Muse discussed the plans as they unveiled updated designs for the £107million complex at the former St Nicholas House complex on Broad Street
Final specifications for the scheme show about two-thirds of the outside of the building will be glass, with the rest made of granite.
There will be two office buildings, a 126-room Marriott hotel, and seven restaurants and bars – including All Bar One and Burger and Lobster.
The project has provoked a storm of protest since the proposals were first unveiled, with objectors raising fears about its impact on the 16th century Provost Skene’s House – which lies at the heart of the site – as well as the views of Marischal College and the risks of the “sale and lease back” arrangement the city council reached with Muse.
The Reject Marischal Square Development campaign group said last night that the new images offered “no comfort”, with the design still “overly massed and too high”.
Stephen Turner, Muse regional director for Scotland, said he hoped the new images would win over some doubters, however.
“The images that we’ve released are what we believe the building is going to look like,” he said.
“I’m sure that we’re not going to satisfy everybody, you never can, but we do believe that in the design we’ve produced and the materials we’re using are the highest, grade A office standard, with the highest sustainability, so it’s very much a modern building in a key part of the city.”
Mr Turner attended Thursday night’s oil and gas summit organised by Energy Voice, the Press and Journal’s sister website, and said optimistic comments made by Sir Ian Wood about the oil and gas industry’s future had given him renewed confidence about filling the new office space.
“The offices, we wouldn’t really expect to see people coming forward much before a year before practical completion,” he said.
“Clearly the current downturn in the market has taken everybody’s eyes off what we’re doing here, but, from listening to Sir Ian Wood last night, there’s an underlying confidence that the market is going to come back and we believe that by the time our scheme is finished there will be a good level of interest in our office space as well.”
Asked if the developer hoped to lure a major oil company to Marischal Square, Mr Turner responded: “It doesn’t have to be an oil company but it would be nice, it would a great kudos for the scheme to attract one of the big names in.”
Lorna McHattie, of the Reject Marischal Square group, said: “These images offer no comfort to those who were outraged following publication of the first images.
“The development is still overly massed, too high and ruins the spectacular vista of Marischal College and Provost Skene’s House which we currently enjoy.”
She added: “The most concerning aspect of this development, for the Aberdeen taxpayer at least, is the lack of demand for city centre office space.
“Muse and its partners are confident that the office space will be leased by July 2017. We wonder what they know that other Aberdeen developers don’t.”
City council leader Jenny Laing urged opponents of the project to get behind the scheme.
She said: “I think it’s time for people to come together. The decision was made in the democratic process, the council made that decision, we took all the risks into account before we made that final decision, and I and those who voted for it believe it will act as a catalyst for the regeneration for the city centre , which the public have been telling us they want to see.
“It will also provide a regular income stream for the council, which will also help us to protect frontline services.
“I think what’s important is the images being released today are the official images of what the project will look like. I think people will be pleased by what they see.
“Muse have listened to what the public were asking for – greater views of Provost Skene’s House, I think that will be clear from the images we see today, while also providing business, hotel and leisure accommodation that’s required.”
The Press and Journal reported last month that a key council meeting had to be suspended because of the noise from the site, while several nearby businesses had complained about it affecting trade
Mrs Laing said: “With any kind of change or redevelopment we obviously have disruption comes with that.
“I would hope the business round about will understand that in the long-term it will be beneficial for the whole city, so the pain that we may have to put up with at the moment will be worth it in the end and I think we’ll have a first-class development that will really showcase the city centre and help make it a vibrant place to come, live, work and visit.”
Preparatory work at the site has been under way for 10 weeks and Muse said it remained on schedule to deliver the scheme by July 2017.
The Aberdeen public can expect to see the main structure rising out of the ground in the early part of next year.
