Nov 142014
 

By David Innes.

colour party 1 111114Whilst we stood in respectful silence at Pittodrie before Sunday’s fixture against Celtic, Armistice Day itself was marked by AFC Heritage Trust’s annual re-dedication of its memorial to the club’s fallen.

This is a Trust annual staple, the sixth since the original dedication of the permanent memorial in 2008.

The Trust War Memorial itself, a permanent fixture in the Richard Donald Stand, has been considerably enhanced through the generous donation of a granite sculpture by Heritage Trust patron Graham Guyan, proprietor of the cleaning company which employs members of the NE Gurkha community on duty behind the scenes at Pittodrie. This addition was on display for the first time.

Two Trustees, Derek Gill and Andrew Duthie read the roll of honour, always a moving tribute. It is almost impossible to comprehend the ages of those who did not return.

‘The Floo’ers O The Forest’, piped by  Pipe Major Laing of the Universities OTC and The Last Post led to two impeccably-observed minutes of silence and reflection, before Reveille and ‘Campbeltown Loch’ signified reawakening and new hope. Laurence Binyon’s ‘Ode To Remembrance’, now 100 years old was read, a tribute to all casualties of war, regardless of nationality.

Birkaji Gurung, a Pittodrie staff member, himself a former member of the Gurkha Rifles read an Armistice Tribute in his native Nepalese. A significant number of Aberdeen’s Gurkha community turned out to support Birkaji. They are always welcome guests who appreciate the efforts the club has made to welcome them as part of the Aberdeen and footballing community.

gurkha plaque

In a touching addition to this year’s ceremony, Gurkha Menbahadur Gurung presented club chairman Stewart Milne with a commemorative plaque to mark the unique and lasting friendship between the club and the Gurkha community.
Strong links have been forged too between the Gurkha community and the Heritage Trust and Birkaji Gurung presented a ceremonial Gurkha mace and a Gurkha Kukri, the coveted regimental dagger, to Trust  Chairman Allan McKimmie to cement this friendship.

Each year, organisations demonstrating their respect and gratitude for those who died increases in number.

11 November 2014 saw wreaths laid by representatives of

Aberdeen Football Club

Aberdeen Football Club Community Trust

Aberdeen Football Club Former Players’ Association

Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust

Aberdeen Universities Officer Training Corps

Air Training Corps

Bon Accord Sea Cadets

Dons Supporters Together

Gordon Highlanders

Gurkha Regiment

NE Scotland Disabled Veterans Association

Poppy Scotland

Queen’s Own Cameron Highlanders

Royal Air Force

Royal Army Medical Corps

Royal British Legion Scotland

Royal Engineers

Royal Field Artillery

Royal Naval Reserve

Scots Guards

Soldiers Sailors and Army Forces Association

St Machar Academy

The Royal Naval Reserve wreath was laid by two primary 7 pupils from Danestone Primary School who were undertaking a Great War project focussing on Trimmer Fred Watson, commemorated on the memorial.

It was a moving and solemn event of remembrance and respect, a century on from the commencement and indescribable carnage of The Great War.

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Nov 142013
 

By David Innes.

IMG_1383cThe AFC Heritage Trust held its fifth Remembrance Day commemoration on the 11th of November at the permanent memorial in the Richard Donald Stand.
First dedicated in 2009, this memorial is a popular stopping-off point for stadium tour parties, and on match days there are always fans who read its information and learn a little more about the heroism of past members of the Dons community.

As has become customary, the event was well-attended, by club staff, members of the armed forces and linked organisations, and by members of the public and trustees.

During a short, formal ceremony, the names of those who died in battle were read by trustees John Callander and Andrew Duthie, as a re-dedication of the memorial. That allowed us to muse on just how young these men were. The Last Post was sounded before silence descended on Pittodrie for two respectful minutes.

Reveille sounded to signal re-awakening, and Lawrence Binyon’s ‘For the Fallen’ was read, before wreaths of respect were laid by representatives of organisations wishing to pay formal tribute.

Club captain Russell Anderson laid the club’s wreath and Neil Simpson represented the Former Players Association by laying theirs. AFC Heritage Trust Chairman Allan McKimmie, who had organised and introduced the ceremony, did the honours for the Heritage Trust.

Floral tributes were laid by representatives of

  • The Gordon Highlanders
  • Royal Air Force
  • Royal Navy
  • Air Training Corps
  • Universities OTC
  • BonAccordSea Cadets – Bridge of Don Ship’s Company
  • Gurkhas
  • Royal British Legion, Scotland
  • Poppy Scotland – the Earl Haig Fund
  • Soldiers, Sailors, Air Force Association (SSAFA) and
  • North East Scotland Disabled Veterans Association (NESDVA)

Birkaji Gurung, a staff member at Pittodrie and a former member of the Gurkha Rifles read an Armistice Tribute in his native Nepalese.

IMG_1393A significant number of Aberdeen’s Gurkha community turned out to support Birkaji. They are always welcome guests.

Whilst this annual remembrance gives us cause to remember those who perished in war, thoughts of remembrance inevitably turned to recently-departed members of the Dons family. They and their families were, without doubt, in the thoughts of many who paid their respects on Armistice Day.

Lest we forget, says the memorial. We will not forget those members of the Dons community who died in both World Wars. Football is often talked of in terms of battles and skirmishes and war. These are insignificant compared to the action that took the lives of those commemorated.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them (Binyon)

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Jan 182013
 

Duncan Harley reflects on Life, the Universe and Everything. A sideways look at the world and its foibles.

Salmond Cleans Up.

Scotland’s First Minister Alex Salmond this week announced the creation of a fund to restore Scotland’s War Memorials. To be called the Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund it will “allow for the sensitive restoration” of the 6,000 or so memorials in villages, towns and cities across the country.

Every town and village has at least one memorial and many more are dotted about the landscape at crossroads, local vantage points, inside churches and public buildings.

Many of course are well maintained by individuals, local groups and civic authorities.

The Inverurie Town Square statue is a very good example, as is the quite moving Roll of Honour found within Insch Memorial Hospital in Aberdeenshire. Insch, of course, being one of a very few towns which chose to use funds gained via public subscription to build a hospital instead of a statue to commemorate the dead of war.

The sons of the folk of Premney, Old Rayne, Colpy and Insch are very well remembered on the carved plaque in the entrance hallway. If you are in the area, I would certainly recommend you call in and have a look, a wee sob and a reflection on the nature of mankind.

Hasta La Vista Madrid

Alongside the above, my personal favourite is the plaque in Aberdeen’s Music Hall commemorating the local folk who fought and died for democracy during the Spanish Civil War (July 17 1936 to April 1 1939).

It’s not a well known memorial and it’s a bit forlorn and quite scratched. In fact, you can easily miss it unless you know where to look. There are only a few names on it and they compete with the notice board and leaflet display for attention.

However, somewhat unusually for a war memorial, it includes those who fought and survived alongside those who died at Ebro and Gandessa during 1937-38.

The Centenary Memorials Restoration Fund is seemingly open for applications right now, with funding available over the course of the four-year centenary commemorations, from 2014 through to 2018.

I’d get in quick though, if I was you, since if you divide a million pounds by 6,000 memorials, that works out at £166 for each project, if I’ve got my maths correct.

I personally will be asking Aberdeen City Council to restore the Spanish Civil War Memorial to its former glory. I am sure that £166 will buy a few a nice new frame and some scratch remover.

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Nov 162012
 

In 2009, Aberdeen Football Club Heritage Trust inaugurated its tribute to Dons who perished in both World Wars. Each year since, the Trust has held a simple but moving ceremony to re-dedicate its memorial and pay tribute to the bravery and sacrifice of young men who perished hundreds of miles from their beloved Pittodrie. The 2012 event was held on 12 November. Images courtesy Alan Jamieson.

The ceremony was supported as ever by local regimental and charitable organisations and, for a second year, WO2 (Retd) Birkaji Gurung.

His comrades from the Gurkha Rifles and their families added a multi-cultural flavour to proceedings.

.

Trust Chairman Allan McKimmie talked of the special relationship Aberdeen’s Gurkha community has developed with the club, with six members of the city’s Nepalese community employed at Pittodrie.

Members of the Trust reminded those gathered of the names and shockingly low ages of those who did not return from war, and contributed the Laurence Binyon Ode of Remembrance.

Birkaji Gurung read a message of remembrance in Nepalese.

.

Wreaths were laid on behalf of the local and national institutions which support the Trust’s Remembrance efforts and also help to organise the ceremony.

Dons manager Craig Brown paid his respects on behalf of the club by laying a wreath, and ex-Dons full back Ally Shewan did so representing the Former Players’ Association.
All are on permanent display in the concourse of the Richard Donald Stand.

We will remember them.

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Nov 122012
 

By Bob Smith.

Lit’s nae foget the sacrifice
O oor brave loons an quines
Fa perished in war’s carnage
An a puckle lost their myns
.
Lit’s nae forget the sacrifice
At the Somme or Passchendaele
Lit’s nae forget the bravery
O the chiels fae toon or vale
.
Lit’s nae forget the sacrifice
O the billies fae learn’t tae flee
In Spitfires an in bombers
A hullock o them wid dee
.
Lit’s nae forget the sacrifice
O D-Day an El Alamein
Or at Cassino ower in Italy
Oot o bodies life wid drain
.
Lit’s nae forget the sacrifice
In Burma or Singapore
An biggin railways in the jungle
Fit’s gin doon in war folklore
.
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
By some sailors on the ocean waves
Fin convoys they ran the gauntlet
An U-boats sint them tae their graves
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
In Kenya, Malaya an Korea
Or in the island o Cyprus
Aroon the toon o Nicosia
.
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
In Aden Arabs made their pitch
Far squaddies tried tae keep the peace
Some led by yon “Mad Mitch”
.
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
On Falkland’s lan an sea
An ower in Northern Ireland
Fowk fae conflict warna free
.
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
In Iraq an in Afghanistan
Far loons and quines hiv perished
In attacks fae the Taliban
.
Lits nae forget the sacrifice
O firefighters an ambulance crews
An the nurses in the front line
Durin wars like World War 2
.
So remember aa these gallant fowk
Fa deet so we’d bide free
Fa pyed the ultimate sacrifice
As their lives they did gie

©Bob Smith “The Poetry Mannie” 2012

Nov 142011
 

Old Susannah pays her respects, but is unable to maintain her silence as she takes a look around what has been happening in our vibrant and dynamic city and beyond.

Things continue to be vibrant and dynamic this week in the Granite City.  On Friday 11 November some 4o-plus people gathered for a minute’s silence to mark those who fell in war.  Robert Martin who works nearby in Golden Square told me he first started coming to Union Terrace Gardens for the traditional minute of silence a few years back.
“What better, more peaceful place is there in the heart of the City to have the minute of silence,” he commented.

A gardener tried to tell the group they should be at the war memorial instead – he could not understand that we were all happier in the Denburn Valley.

For the record, this was not a celebration of nationalism, or glorification of war; it was a gesture of respect for those who lost their lives in war.  Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just stop killing each other, and sort out economic and social problems another way?  Maybe that day will still come.

Then there was the enjoyable opening night at Peacock for its winter exhibition.  The 400 or so works are on show until 23 December and  are all for sale.  Alicia Bruce is offering small prints of her iconic photo portraits from the Menie Estate which had such a good reception when she exhibited at Peacock.  There are abstracts, portraits, beautiful drawings, and even one or two offerings of mine.

A quick word about litter.

During the week I asked an older man who’d dropped litter to please pick it up.  He explained (with some interesting vocabulary words which I must look up) that ‘he didn’t know me’, ‘he didn’t have to’ and ‘I could not make him.’  It was a very impressive display indeed.

Days later I was at Sainsbury’s Berryden, and groups of students (probably just over 20 people in total) had stopped by the store to get their lunch.  They had wrappers, bags, papers, serviettes, bottles and so on.  And as I waited for a bus, I saw each and every student put their trash in the trashcan near the bus stop.

I am pretty sure they were from St Machar.  My appreciation to them and the other people who do the right thing.  It’s not difficult, it’s not brain surgery.  It does however make a huge difference.

But whatever you were doing this week, everyone’s thoughts were with one brave man who is fighting a valiant struggle of his own.  Yes, Stewart Milne’s case went to the Supreme Court on Thursday.

The Press & Journal had no room for this story on the day, due to the breaking news that geothermal energy exists.  This astonishing front page special even had a picture of a volcano to illustrate it.  I had personally expected a story about a cow with a ladder on its neck, but the geothermal story did the trick, and between it and the massive ads for Milne Homes, no room remained for the little matter of our City being called to the Supreme Court.

Then, Friday, the P&J did run with a story on Milne, which leads neatly to a little definition or two.

Negotiate: (verb, Eng) to settle a conflict or disagreement by compromise.

Those of us who read the Press & Journal story will have felt sorry for Stewart Milne.  He claimed the matter could have been settled had Aberdeen City council accepted his offer of negotiation.

According to the P&J, Stewart Milne Group claimed:

“We have offered to go to independent arbitration on several occasions over a long period of time,”

Usually negotiations happen when both sides have a valid argument or case to make.  To refresh everyone’s memory, the City sold land at Westhill to Mr M for far less than it was worth – the City’s clever business plan was not to sell the land on the open market, but sell directly to Milne (I am sure there was a great reason).

He got a great price on the understanding the City would eventually get any sale profit.  In a really clever and not at all dodgy-looking business manoeuvre, the land moved from one arm of the vast Milne empire to the next, at a cost around £500k –apparently more than what the 11 acres cost in the first place.  This was perfectly normal, and could have happened to anyone.  Quite truthfully, Milne then indicated that there was no profit to share.

This giant poster in no way looks like a desperate advertising ploy, but it does paper over some cracks nicely.

The City and subsequent courts have disagreed with Mr Milne’s logic (shocking!), and rather than enter ‘negotiation’ over the £1.7 million under dispute, the City decided to see the case all the way through.  Milne could have accepted the last court’s verdict, but he appealed all the way to the Supreme Court.  If you’ve only got £60 million, then you’ve got to hold onto every penny these days.

The trial was televised, and although Old Susannah is no legal expert, it didn’t look all that great for Stew.

Now we just have to wait for the outcome – at which point no doubt everyone’s favourite football club owner will immediately give Aberdeen the £1.7 million it is owed, plus court costs.  I think an apology is also due, and hope the City are drafting one to Mr Milne for taking things this far.

This expensive litigation obviously in no way impacts on the role Mr Milne plays in ACSEF, the City and Shire’s invention which is helping us out of economic chaos.  Aside from the bang-up job ACSEF has done so far for our city’s shops, it’s created a brilliant logo for itself, and now has a great big vibrant, dynamic mural at McCombie Court.  This giant poster in no way looks like a desperate advertising ploy, but it does paper over some cracks nicely.

In light of Stewart’s logic concerning negotiation, the next time you get mugged or have your wallet snatched, don’t go to the law.  Just find out who’s got your money and negotiate to get some of it back.  Sorted.

Reading this story about how Stew wanted to negotiate, I wonder if I’m not having déjà vu.  This sense comes from the P&J article some time back, when Milne and everyone’s favourite forum, ACSEF, were taking over Peacock Visual Art’s project and turning it into the great City Garden Scheme.

Just before the final, decisive and divisive voting on the project took place, ACSEF / Milne said that Peacock had been offered some kind of 11th hour alternative, but were unwilling to strike a deal.  Of course if you read the full story, you would have eventually discovered Peacock said ‘we were never contacted about any deal.’

I hope in future any Peacock person, Aberdeen City legal rep, etc. will just ‘negotiate’ when Stewart wants something – it will save the taxpayer lots of money to just go along with him from the start.

In fact, when I think of Loirston Loch, the Triple Kirks glass box scheme, Pittodrie and so on, I wonder if we haven’t just started to say yes to him already.

Geography: (noun) study of terrain, locations, types of environments and areas.

If you are out there, Pete Leonard, Director of Housing, perhaps you might consider a geography lesson or two.  Pete insists Tullos Hill is ‘urban’.  The hill is next to all the lovely industrial estates which have helped make Aberdeen the profitable centre of the universe it is, but the hill just isn’t all that ‘urban’.  It’s covered with plants, grasses, wildlife, pre-historic cairns and so on.

Here in Aberdeen, there is a complete separation of contractors and councillors

On the word of Mr Leonard, I went to Tullos Hill the other day assuming it had been urbanised.   I looked for fast food, a coffee or a monorail ride, but there was nothing of the kind to be found.

It struck me that Ms Malone (who has lately been very, very quiet) might want to look for a new initiative to push. Perhaps if she abandoned the ‘tree for every citizen’ scheme and maybe had ‘a monolith for every citizen’ and/or ‘monorail for every citizen’ scheme, it might increase her popularity.  As I hear it, an improvement in her popularity stakes is currently the only possible direction.

Aside from Tullos, other urban areas in our city are easy to recognise by the well-maintained roads and footpaths, the general cleanliness, the complete lack of any crime, and all the many open local shops.

Corruption: (noun, English) a state of dishonesty, lack of integrity, self-interested behaviour of a person or body in a position of trust.

Edinburgh has faced accusations of council corruption. (“At least it couldn’t happen in Aberdeen!” I can practically hear you say.)

For openers, according to the BBC, the hospitality records are incomplete. ( This contrasts with our city’s up-to-date, perfectly set out, fully inclusive records which seem to indicate some councillors went to absolutely no events whatsoever in 2009 and or 2010).  But that’s the least of Edinburgh’s problems.

Edinburgh’s councillors are in the firing line for ‘possible fraud and serious wrongdoing’ with regard to building works and property.

Audit Scotland could not decide if the city was just a wee bit disorganised, or if there was a whiff of corruption

It also looks like a city councillor had a holiday paid for by a contractor.  Here in Aberdeen, there is a complete separation of contractors and councillors.  In those rare occasions when a councillor is somehow connected to a contractor, then they stay well out of any possible conflict situations.

Some years ago we had our own little trouble with Audit Scotland, you may remember.

They had a few uncertainties after a detailed investigation of our city’s property selling activities.  There were questions as to why so many properties were being sold below value.  Audit Scotland did tell the city to stop selling property at knock-down prices, and otherwise pay attention to details – like who is actually buying your property and what it should sell for.  In the end, Audit Scotland could not decide if the city was just a wee bit disorganised, or if there was a whiff of corruption.  In the end, they invited our local police to look into the issues.

After a completely thorough, detailed investigation, the police found nothing untoward.  Old Susannah is not sure when the investigation was conducted.  Then again, I’m not sure when exactly Stewart Milne Group started advertising on police cars, either.

Next week hopefully a Milne court and FOI case update; a fond look back at the careers of John Stewart and Neil Fletcher, who are not going to run for re-election in May.

Stop press Christmas Gift Solution:  Tired of the usual old boring gifts – the handbag-sized bottle of vodka, the city council carriage clock or branded pen?  Look no further for your gift requirements:  The City is selling photo prints of its greatest moments.  Rather than taking a picture of St Nicholas House or the ACSEF logo yourself to make a welcome gift for a loved one, just go to the City’s website.

What is the most popular subject on sale?  Why the Lord Provost of course!  There are only about 750 photos of him in action this year but fret not: there are two other years of Lord Provost photos as well.  Make a lovely print on canvas, or can be sent to an artist to create a portrait in oils.  I just might buy a photo of the Lord Provost handing over a gift and turn it into a mug, a mug for some reasons being the first thing that springs to mind.
See: http://aberdeencitycouncil.newsprints.co.uk/

Stop press 2:  there will be a further extension for getting your entries in for the Union Terrace Gardens art competition  – more news soon!

 

Nov 082011
 

With Remembrance Sunday approaching fast and the wearing of a poppy being de rigueur for every stuffed shirt and empty suit on TV, Voice’s Dave Watt thinks about 11 November.  

11 November falls on a Friday this year, so the dead will have to wait until Sunday to be remembered, as the powers that be don’t seem to think that remembering them on the actual Armistice Day would be convenient.
I mean, businesses might lose a whole two minutes profit and think what a disaster that would be for our thriving economy. After all, big business interests shovel money into party funds and one and a quarter million dead servicemen and women don’t. So, balls to them.

Armistice Day on 11 November was originally meant to signal the end of The War to End Wars, back in a time when that phrase wouldn’t bring forth a cynical snigger.

In fact, on my grandfather’s medals, hanging in a frame in my hallway, it refers to The Great War For Civilisation which shows that there were politicians in the 1920s capable of coming out with the same kind of drivel as George W Bush did with his ludicrous War on Terror ten years ago.

Presumably, at some time in the future there will be a War For Straight Bananas or a War For Fashionable Sandals or something equally weird.

Hopefully, this year will not feature such irretrievable tat as the Royal British Legion inviting The Saturdays to frolic half-naked in a sea of poppies or getting the judges on X Factor to wear grotesque poppy fashion items – two tasteless frolics which inspired ex-SAS soldier Ben Griffin to describe them as ‘stunts to trivialise, normalise and satirise war’. Griffin, in fact, went on to state that remembrance has been turned into ‘a month long drum roll of support for current wars’, a point of view it is increasingly difficult to disagree with.

My grandfather joined up in 1914 in the surge of patriotism engendered by Germany illegally invading Belgium; my uncle joined up in 1939 when Hitler illegally subjugated Poland. Presumably, if Tony Blair had been Prime Minister in 1914, we’d have joined in the illegal invasion and attacked tiny Belgium as we did with impoverished third world Afghanistan, not one of whose citizens had previously done us the slightest harm.

Then again, if Tony had been in charge in 1939 he’d surely have produced some shoddy dossiers to our gullible Parliament showing how those dastardly Poles were all set to attack peace-loving Nazi Germany and that they had weapons of mass destruction concealed in Cracow and Gdansk which could be deployed within 45 minutes.

Yes, if good old Tony had been on the case then, we could nowadays watch Wellington bombers joining the Stukas strafing the women and kids in Warsaw on World at War on Yesterday – with a suitably solemn voice-over courtesy of Laurence Olivier. God, wouldn’t that make us just so proud of ourselves?

No, the bottom line is that we’re not the Good Guys helping the Underdog against the Bully any more. We’re something quite different now.

If you were wondering what happened to my uncle and grandfather in their wars, my uncle died in Normandy in 1944 after fighting in North Africa, Italy and Sicily. My grandfather survived four years in the trenches but was wounded and mustard-gassed in 1918. The mustard gas steadily and horribly eroded his lungs over the years and he eventually died in 1955 aged 56, so the War for Civilisation got him in the end.

I also had a relative on board HMS Hood when the Bismarck sank her in the Denmark Straits in May 1941. He was not one of the three survivors.

It’s interesting to think that if my three relations had survived wars and lived until now that their reward from a grateful country would be to have some pampered ex-public schoolboy Tories and Lib Dems cutting their fuel allowances by £100 this winter.

I’ll have my own two minutes silence for my relations and all the rest – the ones who came back and the ones who didn’t.

On Friday.

Photo Credits –
Row Of Crosses © Mediaonela | Dreamstime.com  
Poppy At Newe July 2011 © Elaine Andrews

Nov 052010
 

By Richard Pelling.

Golden Square.  Sounds quite exotic doesn’t it ? Despite being a classical granite square just off Union Street in Aberdeen, all is not well in Golden Square as we witness yet another chapter in the shameful transition of Aberdeen from Granite City to Grabbit City.

So what’s the deal this time I hear you ask ?

Well, let us begin by having a wee neb at the Aberdeen City Centre Development Framework and see what it says about this Golden Square (Section 3.6.6 of the document).

“the classical character of the Square has been destroyed with an over dominance of parking. Golden Square should be developed into a space that focuses on pedestrian movement and activity, celebrating the statue of George 5th * whilst balancing the needs of vehicular movement”

[* the statue is of George, 5th Duke of Gordon ].

Sounds good … the framework looks like it sets out to swing the balance in favour of the pedestrian in a city centre that is severely lacking in public open space, but wait, there’s more.

“Better use of Golden Square could be achieved by (among other things)

 

Removing cars from the central space

 

Introducing greenery, formal planting and seating into the central space”

Sounds really nice … Now bear in mind that this City Centre Development Framework is “live” and part of the material from the Aberdeen Local Development Plan with feedback invited by 5pm on 17th December 2010.

The document, available on-line, is credited to the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of Aberdeen City Council (ACC) – remember the name.

we see from this report that Aberdeen City Council has coveted this car park for a while and has evidently made considerable effort to secure it

Two sides to the tale

Now you would think that the major issue here is that the “central space” in the square is currently used, not as a commercial car park, but as a charity car park by the Aberdeen branch of the Royal British Legion for raising money – through donations – to help ex-servicemen.

A dilemma indeed. It would be a real shame to see the ex-servicemen and their chosen charities lose their revenue, but it would be nice to have the central bit of the square back with a focus on the pedestrian and creating some new public open space with seating in the city centre – especially at a time when the City Council are intent on destroying nearby Union Terrace Gardens, the much loved green heart of Aberdeen.

But …this is Aberdeen.

Oh yes, but this is Aberdeen and things always get more complex.

Now while the Aberdeen Local Development Plan is still a live consultation process, Aberdeen City Council has annexed the ex-servicemen’s charity car park not for creation of a new central square with grass and seats but … wait for it … for a car park! Since Monday 18th October, the Council have imposed their own parking regime on the square at the Council’s commercial rates – far higher than the donations that the ex-servicemen asked for.

From the Press & Journal (15th October)

“Local Authority to get benefit of facility that raised cash for ex-soldiers”

A bit of delving and we see from this report that Aberdeen City Council has coveted this car park for a while and has evidently made considerable effort to secure it … why ? Is it perhaps, to quote the report that :

“There will be a setting up cost of £20,000 which could be funded from the Non-Housing Capital programme for machines, signing etc. The anticipated revenue income from the car park over the period of a full year is estimated at £160,000.”

one wonders what the public will think of the councillors who took the ex-serviceman’s charity car park away

Apparently the council will give the Royal British Legion some share of the money but this will reduce on a sliding scale to zero over a few years.

When I read this next bit of the council minutes I wasn’t moved to comment, I was near enough moved to tears :

“RBL (Aberdeen Branch) uses the monies received from the car parking donations towards charitable contributions to other organisations and to support local ex-servicemen and their families. Recent examples of supported organisations are: Erskine Homes, Gurkha Welfare Trust, local Salvation Army, Air, Army and Sea Cadets, local RNLI, Gordon Highlander Association. The RBL also provide assistance to local ex-servicemen and women, make home and hospital visits and provide a small bereavement grant to families on the death of one of its members.”

But… this is Aberdeen

Oh yes and this being Aberdeen, … lets take another look at the P&J

“Councillor Kate Dean, Head of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure committee which decided to take over the car park, defended the decision.”

Hold on … that wouldn’t be the same Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee that are credited with the Aberdeen City Centre Development Framework (dated August 2010) and which forms part of a live consultation with feedback invited by 17th December 2010 ?

You know, the one where it says

“Better use of Golden Square could be achieved by (among other things)

 

Removing cars from the central space

 

Introducing greenery, formal planting and seating into the central space”

Is this Aberdeen Local Development Plan consultation set to be just another sham consultation that eats up public funds and delivers feedback that the council ignore and do what they wanted to do anyway?

So soon after a survey of citizens (initiated by the council) indicated that the recent actions of Aberdeen City Councillors had damaged public trust in democracy one wonders what the public will think of the councillors who took the ex-serviceman’s charity car park away … just a month before Remembrance Sunday.

We will remember them.