Rebecca Buchan: Cafe 52 terrace row has no winners – but new market will be boost for all

For those who know me well, they will be unsurprised to find me on a weekend eating some of Aberdeen’s finest food or sipping on some wine at one of our local bars.

I have rehearsed many a time before how I feel the Granite City really punches above its weight when it comes to the food and drink scene.

So this last week I have found myself rather upset to think about the potential “demise” of one of Aberdeen’s much-loved eateries, Cafe 52.

The one-of-a-kind venue is a popular and picturesque wee destination on The Green, with its quirky charms famously winning over Guardian food critic Grace Dent.

But I can’t help wondering if this latest drama unfolding has somehow all been tragically blown out of proportion.

It’s been played out on social media as a bit of a David and Goliath war, except with Goliath winning on this occasion.

It’s been presented as: Small local business draws lines in the sand while battling Aberdeen City Council over the demolition of its outside space.

For those unfamiliar with the story, restaurateur Steve Bothwell launched a crowd-funder earlier this year in an attempt to raise £100,000 to stop the local authority “bulldozing” the venue’s shepherd’s hut and outside terrace.

The council said it was necessary in the name of progress.

To proceed with the much-heralded new continental food market behind the old BHS building, workers will need access along a patch of public land where Mr Bothwell’s terrace currently sits.

Mr Bothwell refused to comply and launched an impassioned battle.

He claimed this move would put his entire business at risk, which has been a huge attraction to The Green for almost 30 years.

This seemed to reach a conclusion in court last week.

A sheriff granted the council the warrant needed to carry out the demolition – though project bosses have stressed that the terrace would be carefully dismantled in order to be rebuilt at a later date.

Mr Bothwell has since taken to social media to declare the restaurant up for sale.

To many, it of course feels horrendously unfair.

The optics do not look good for the council, and elected members have avoided publicly commenting on it.

Perhaps quite rightly, Cafe 52’s ardent army of fans have taken to social media to support the embattled chef and bemoan the council’s actions.

Was Cafe 52 row really necessary?

But was all of this strictly necessary?

In May the Press and Journal reported that insiders working on the Aberdeen market redevelopment said efforts had been made to offer Mr Bothwell an alternative space for outdoor trading while the construction work was ongoing.

These sources say he “did not engage at all”.

And fair enough, maybe relocating the structure would have been detrimental to Cafe 52.

But surely it would have been worth a try? Instead of focusing all this effort on a losing battle, imagine if this energy had been driven into promoting the temporarily relocated premises.

What is really needed here, so far as I can see, is a bit of compromise.

We are in the very early stages of significant regeneration in Aberdeen. Regeneration which everyone believes is not only wanted but needed.

The new market is a £50 million project which has been in the pipeline for years, approved in May 2022, and work has not yet begun.

And while I have every sympathy with Mr Bothwell’s plight, allowing this doomed legal battle to continue was only going to delay these regeneration efforts.

With any luck a compromise can be struck

Mr Bothwell now has three weeks to take the structure down himself.

With any luck, it can still be done so in a way which would allow him to rebuild in time.

Perhaps Aberdeen City Council and Mr Bothwell can go back to the drawing board to compromise, should he rethink his decision to sell Cafe 52.

Next summer hundreds of thousands of tourists will descend on Aberdeen City Centre to watch the Tall Ships Race.

On their arrival I hope they realise they are not visiting a city in need of regeneration but one in the throes of one.

So much promise to be seen, that they leave, excited to return when the efforts of our work have come to fruition.

But for that, we need to be allowed to progress.

It is my hope that Mr Bothwell thinks carefully about all of the options open to him before he takes the decision to close his doors for good.

Because there are many weekends I would still like to sit eating good food and drinking nice wine on The Green.

And perhaps, in time, his business could be enjoying the benefits of this new destination on its doorstep as well.

Rebecca Buchan is deputy head of news and sport for The Press and Journal and Evening Express