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Aberdeen’s City Garden Project Good for Retail, says Trinity CentreThe owners of Aberdeen’s Trinity Centre today pledged their support to the City Garden Project, hailing it ‘a hugely positive, dynamic public realm project’ which could rejuvenate the city centre and attract more visitors.
The centre’s backing of the project dispels the myth that the project will be yet another shopping centre.
Richard Bains, European director of Rockspring - the property management company which owns the Trinity Centre as well as Aberdeen Market and BHS on Union Street - believes the City Garden Project would increase footfall and dwell-time in the city centre, creating much more opportunities for retailers.
He said: “Beautiful street-level gardens, open space and the great potential of a new cultural heart right opposite our centre can only be good news, attracting tourists and residents to our end of Union Street and increasing dwell-time in the city centre. This is a hugely positive, dynamic public realm project which will enhance the appeal of the city and help re-generate Union Street.
“Since acquiring the Trinity Centre in early 2010, we have invested significantly in this asset and we believe the City Garden Project will help us achieve a greater return on this investment which is one of our biggest assets in the UK.
“Importantly, the new accessible space would provide improved connectivity between all of the city’s shopping areas and the bus and rail stations. We are fully supportive of the project subject to the designs and are very excited about the design competition.
“Aberdeen can’t afford to let an opportunity like this slip through its fingers. The City Garden Project should provide the catalyst to attract further investment to the city.”
Commenting on Mr Bains’ remarks, John Stewart, chairman of theCity Garden Project management board said: “We are delighted that Rockspring is investing in Aberdeen and that they see the huge potential of the City Garden Project.
“One of the myths surrounding the project is that it will be another shopping mall, rivalling our existing centres, which is absolutely not the case. Rockspring has embraced the civic spirit of the project and understands that the vision of creating more attractive gardens and open space is to entice people into the city and encourage them to stay longer.”