6 June 2025

 

Project Works – Union Street Central

Works have been completed on the south footway between Market Street and Attic with redundant services removed and new paving and kerbing installed.

 

Underground electrical and communications service infrastructure has been fully installed along the south footway, which will allow surface works to advance in the coming weeks.

 

Kerb installation for the new cycleway will continue to progress and the remaining street furniture bases will be installed.

 

New tarmac surfacing will be laid in the coming weeks followed by further paving slab installation to further shape the new look and feel of Union Street’s central area.

 

 

Project Works – Market

Work has been progressing on new concrete walls which will form the structural core of the market building. These works include extensive waterproofing against weather exposure.

 

The new standing seam roof at 91-93 Union Street, formerly British Home Stores has been completed, which allow internal fit out works to begin shortly.

 

Work to remove the scaffolding on the front of 91-93 Union Street is expected to begin week commencing Monday 9 June and should be completed within 10-days. Once that is done, work will begin to remove the scaffolding from the rear of the building.

 

That will allow basement substructure works to commence and prepare the area to receive new pre-cast concrete stairs within the main market building.

 

Preparation works to lay new foundations for the new Market Street arch will also begin. This feature will incorporate reclaimed granite stone from the original shopfront which linked the old market building to neighbouring properties. It will visually tie the new structure back into its surroundings in a way that respects and helps preserve and echoes the original character of the historic layout.

 

 

Project Works – Beach

Works on the beachfront area are progressing on programme with the Broadhill improvement project due to be completed and handed over next month.

Steelwork has also been erected for two of the new buildings – the Gateway Canopy and the Play Park Canopy., and work will continue to progress those structures.

 

On Monday 9 June the internal soft strip works will begin at the former beach leisure centre. Once that is completed the structural demolition of the building will commence later in the summer.

 

The upgrade of the rear car park at the Linx Ice Arena has been completed and is due to come into use on Thursday 12 June. The existing front car park will be closed with hoarding erected around it as it becomes part of the works site.

 

The skate landscape is taking shape with a team from the specialist contractors, Betongpark, on site supervising operations with the first concrete already poured. All the team are experienced skaters, and the company is recognised as one of Europe’s leading exponents of skate area design and construction.

 

Work is also progressing on utility service connections to the site and is due to be completed school summer break.

 

 

Project Works – Castlegate

 

Initial ground site investigation works on the Castlegate have been completed and the findings will be assessed to help inform the programme of streetscape improvements for the area.

 

Engagement sessions were held at the Salvation Army Citadel with businesses located on the Castlegate and Justice Street to go over how the street area will operate once the improvements are completed. The sessions were well attended with positive feedback and the points raised will be looked at by the project team.

 

The streetscape works are due to begin in August following the Tall Ships Race events and are expected to be completed in the summer of 2026.

Temporary traffic management arrangements will be implemented at Aberdeen beach from Monday 12 May to allow crucial works on the beachfront regeneration project.

A phased series of restrictions will enable new utility services on the project site to be safely connected to the city’s utility infrastructure network under the surrounding roads and paths.

These works have been planned to keep disruption to a minimum and will be completed before the school summer holiday break. The restrictions will be as follows:

• Monday 12 May to Wednesday 4 June: Links Road southbound at the Beach Boulevard will be closed. There will be a left turn only from the Beach Boulevard northbound and a left turn only from Links Road northbound
• Thursday 5 June to Friday 6 June: Links Road between the Beach Boulevard and Cotton Street will be closed both ways
• Monday 9 June to Wednesday 11 June: Links Road at the Beach Ballroom will be closed both ways
• Thursday 12 June to Friday 29 June: Links Road at the Beach Ballroom will have parking restrictions and a footpath closure
• Monday 30 June to Friday 4 July: The Esplanade from the Beach Boulevard to Innoflate will have parking restrictions and two-way traffic lights at times

Sign posted diversions via the Esplanade/Links Road and/or the Beach Boulevard will be in place for the duration of the works.

Access to all local businesses and premises will remain throughout the works and all car parks can be accessed via the diversions.

The works are part of the £50 million redevelopment to make the beach area a must-visit destination. The improvements include a class-leading beach park, a large events field, and the enhancement of the Broadhill.

The construction team working on the £17 million transformation of Union Street in Aberdeen have revealed the hidden obstructions they have uncovered so far during the project.

Excavation work on the central section of the thoroughfare has encountered a series of unexpected underground obstacles which were completely uncharted.

From historic tram infrastructure to unrecorded utility pipes and cables or deep, hidden manholes, these discoveries have presented significant engineering challenges for Morrison Construction Infrastructure, who are the main contractor for the Aberdeen City Council development on Union Street.

One of the biggest hurdles for the team has been finding multiple layers of uncharted utility services buried beneath the road surface. These include clusters of electric cables, gas and water pipes, and other infrastructure that were previously undocumented on any maps or diagrams. More than 20 unrecorded clusters have been found so far across the site.

Uncovering these services means work cannot proceed as planned. Instead, gas, electricity and water organisations must be consulted and visit the site to determine whether the cables and pipes are still live and operational or redundant.

Live utilities must be made safe or moved and redundant services removed. This process is complex and time-consuming, adding unavoidable delays to the project.

Among the more unusual finds was an unknown capped off concrete access shaft which led down to a 10m deep underground culvert.

Due to the risk of collapse, the access shaft could not be safely removed. The project team then had to devise an alternative engineering solution to redesign the new street drainage system around this major obstacle.

In another striking historical find, workers uncovered old electric tram power cables encased in timber-framed wooden boxes which had been waterproofed and insulated with bitumen. Electric trams began operating in Aberdeen in 1899.

Eight of these tram power lines have been found running the length of the project site. The bitumen insulation, designed to protect against Aberdeen’s damp climate, highlights the durability and engineering ingenuity of the city’s historic tram network.

Further evidence of the tram system was also found, with old steel sleepers encased in concrete beneath the road surface throughout the site.

The site team also uncovered an 46cm diameter cast iron carrier pipe running the full length of the project area. Checks have been unable to confirm what the pipe was used for, but it is believed to be an old redundant water main, which then had to be removed to allow current construction to progress.

The presence of these unknown underground structures has impacted on the construction programme with time and resources having to be diverted to investigate, document, and, where possible, remove or work around them.

Before work began, pre-construction checks were carried out on the site, which included liaising with utility companies to confirm the location of services while ground radar was used to scan for any unexpected obstacles and trial pit holes were dug to investigate further.

However, these checks cannot guarantee to locate everything and sometimes services will remain undiscovered until the main excavations begin on site.

The improvement works cover a 300m section of central Union

Street and are divided into three 100m sections between Market Street and Bridge Street. Work began on the eastern section from Market Street and immediately started to find hidden obstructions.

Staff are currently working on the south pavement from Market Street and have encountered similar issues with one utility recorded on service maps, but another nine unrecorded services were then uncovered during excavations, including two gas pipes.

Given the challenges faced in the initial stages, the team have taken proactive steps to conduct advance excavation work in the western section of the site and deep trench investigations in the central section, helping to identify further potential clashes with uncharted utilities before the main construction phase began there.

While the roadway was exposed, the construction team also took the opportunity to install the new main carrier drainage pipe and associated chambers, ensuring that future works could proceed more efficiently.

Rod Buchan, construction manager for Morrison Construction Infrastructure on the project, commented: “Despite the challenges presented by these unexpected underground discoveries, the team remains committed to delivering the much-needed upgrades to Union Street Central.”

Hub North Scotland is Aberdeen City Council’s delivery partner for the City Centre and Beachfront Master Plan and project director John Edwards said: “The project team went to great efforts before works started to determine what lay beneath the ground.

“However, there is always a possibility of finding these uncharted obstructions which can be incredibly frustrating for the site team and can have an impact on progress. The team continue to work hard to minimise that for the shops and businesses.”

The City Centre and Beach Master Plan is more than just building something.

Every construction project in the plan also has social impact and community benefit targets for the main contractor to meet.

These include job opportunities, apprenticeships, work experience, volunteering, and community donations.

At the beach project, our main contractor Robertson has been working hard, and their social impact team has already gathered some impressive figures as this infographic shows.

14 March 2025

Project Works – Union Street Central

Works continue to progress well with the final concrete slab at the Market Street junction now in place. The concrete slab will provide the foundation for the new locally sourced granite setts to be installed.

The existing south footway at the east end of the site is being removed and a temporary pedestrian crossing near Attic Clothing has been installed to ensure access to businesses during this stage of the works.

The south footway works will see the installation of a new mains electric cable and other electrical and communications infrastructure before the new footway paving is installed.

A second temporary pedestrian crossing at Aberdeen Vinyl Records and the Aberdeen Gift and Tourist Shop will also be in operation from Monday 17 March as works continue across the site.

Over the coming weeks, construction teams will install 50% of the new kerb log in the central section of the site and begin laying the first of the new concrete slabs.

Project Works – Market

Key structural and restoration activities continue at the Market site. The new steel frame roof structure for the former British Homes Store building at 91-93 Union Street is now in place and additional streel frame installation work remains a key focus and is progressing well.

Significant progress has been made on the new in-situ walls for the main market building and the formation of new service pits is moving forward.

Over the next two weeks the steel frame installation at 91-93 Union Street should be completed and ongoing concrete remedial works finalised. Key drainage preparations and structural improvements will continue.

During April it is planned to begin installing the outer curtain walling frame on the frontage of 91-93 Union Street.

 

Project Works – Beachfront

Cut and fill works across the site are now complete along with main drainage and localised drainage well progressed.

From Monday 17 March work will being to pour the concrete foundations for the amphitheatre and the beach park gateway building. At the same time work will begin on forming and shaping the new skate park.

Work to install a second line of new steps providing access to the top of Broadhill are progressing well along with the new paths and viewpoint network.

 

Project Works – Castlegate

Final design works are continuing to progress for the Castlegate streetscape improvements. The construction team will move on site to begin works at the beginning of August 2025  following the visit of the Tall Ships race to Aberdeen.