The new Silver City Heritage & Place Programme which is due to be launched this summer continues heritage-led regeneration benefits carried out in the previous Union Street Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS) project.

The Silver City Heritage & Place Programme will run alongside continued assistance from the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust which aims to help with the preservation, maintenance and enhancement of the historic architectural and landscape heritage, a report to Aberdeen City Council’s Finance and Resources Committee said.

Council co-leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “Aberdeen’s granite city centre is unique. It is important to preserve and protect it whilst also ensuring the buildings are fit for modern uses.

“Projects such as the Silver City Heritage and Place Programme – and its CARS predecessor – help deliver this.”

Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan added: “It is good that the work for the new Silver City Heritage & Place Programme will continue alongside projects by the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust.

“We have an interesting and diverse history of how the city centre was built and developed from mediaeval times to the present day so it is important this story is told while ensuring buildings are fit for purpose.”

The report, which was agreed at committee today, said the Union Street CARS project was established in 2017 to provide a £2.4million initiative focused on the heritage-led regeneration of Union Street. Originally developed as a five year programme, the project was extended to account for the Covid-19 pandemic.

Outcomes included:

• 21 buildings repaired with building repair grant assistance, including five priority buildings. Eight vacant buildings, and 2,135sqm of floorspace, brought back into use.
• £1.98m of grants awarded, levering in £1.35m in owner contributions. Repairs to buildings included to the much-loved Bruce Miller clock;
• 43 events and workshops, with more than 1,900 participants aimed at school pupils, homeowners and the general public plus people viewing exhibitions and projections onto buildings. 50 schools, and about 1,800 pupils, across the city engaged in activities;12 training events and four drop-in events, engaging more 120 participants including eight contractor courses (lime, roofing, joinery, structural repairs, energy retrofits) and four events for homeowners. Two roofing apprentices supported through grant assistance.

The report to Committee also agreed a strengthened relationship between Aberdeen City Council and the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust. The Trust is a charity which aims to promote and encourage, either on its own or in conjunction with others, the preservation, maintenance and enhancement of the historic architectural and landscape heritage in Aberdeen, all for the benefit of the general public and to further knowledge and understanding of such heritage and of conservation practices and techniques.

It does this, in part, by supporting training and education events and making available discretionary grants for the repair and interpretation of the historic environment.

Aberdeen City Council has a long history of supporting the Trust, including £450,000 of funding over three years agreed in the Council budget of 2024/25 to be focused on upgrading the western part of the city centre.

Projects which have already benefitted from this funding include reroofing and dormer remodelling at 363 Union Street. The Trust is also an advanced stage of negotiation in relation to three other projects on Union Street.