Status Under construction Town or city Aberdeen Estimated completion 2017 | Address Broad Street, Aberdeen Client Muse Developments Floor area 2 ha Cost 50 million GBP Floor count 10 | |
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Type Mixed Use (Office, hotel, retail and restaurant) Similar Provost Skene, Aberdeen Art Gallery, Codonas Amusement Park, Bridge of Dee, Third Don Crossing | ||
What the redevelopment of marischal square will look like
Marischal Square is a mixed use development currently under construction in Broad Street, Aberdeen, Scotland. The development is located on the site of St. Nicholas House, Aberdeen City Council's former 14 storey headquarters building, which was expected to be demolished by Spring 2014, after staff were relocated to the redeveloped Marischal College on the opposite side of Broad Street in 2011.
Contents
- What the redevelopment of marischal square will look like
- Morgan sindall at marischal square aberdeen
- Marketing and Design Competition
- Planning
- Design
- References
The site comprises 0.981 hectares (2.42 acres) and is surrounded by Broad Street to the east, Upperkirkgate to the north and Flourmill Lane to the west.
The site would be developed in a single phased and completion is expected in 2017. It is estimated by the Council that the development would attract 3000 extra people into Aberdeen city centre daily.
There have been protests against the development. Several hundred demonstrators formed a human chain around the site in January 2015.
Morgan sindall at marischal square aberdeen
Marketing and Design Competition
Aberdeen City Council voted to demolish St. Nicholas House and market the vacant site on the open market in October 2011. A two-stage selection process followed, and in August 2012 it was announced that thirteen offers had been received by the Council from interested developers. All bids were for mixed-use developments comprising hotel, office, retail and restaurant/café use and varied between 180,000sqft to 650,000sqft with parking for 150 to 600 vehicles. In October 2012 four bidders were short-listed to move onto stage two and present more detailed design proposals to the Council.
The short-listed designs were made public in April 2013 and Manchester based Muse Developments in a joint venture with Aviva Investors were selected as the preferred bidder on 1 May 2013. Muse's bid includes provision for the Council to lease the development from Muse for a period of 35 years and receive part of the rental income from the tenants for that period. The development would revert to Council ownership after the 35-year period. The decision by the Council to select the Muse proposal was controversial with voting by Councillors split 23-20. The ruling Labour, Conservative and Independent coalition voted in favour whilst the SNP and Liberal Democrats were opposed.
Planning
It is intended to commence the pre-application planning process by late summer 2013.
Public consultation events will take place at Aberdeen Art Gallery on October 30 and 31 and November 1st and 2nd 2013.
Design
Marischal Square would comprise 175,000sqft of office space; 5,000sqft of restaurant space; and 18,638sq ft of retail and leisure space which would include a circa 150 bedroom hotel boutique hotel.
Indicative designs show several linked buildings, the highest of which would be 10 storeys from Flourmill Lane. The development would also feature gardens, glass roofed court-yards and the pedestrianisation of Broad Street to create a civic space between the development and Marischal College. Provost Skene's House which dates from the 17th century would be retained as part of the proposals.