A HUGE city centre revamp has been delayed – with a council official hinting lazy workies are to blame.
Aberdeen’s flagship Union Street is being given an overhaul in a huge £20million project.
Union Street pedestrianisation works have been controversial[/caption]
Locals have complained that the centre has been thrown into turmoil by the scheme, which was supposed to end this year.
But now it’s going to run into 2026 and the local authority’s chief capital officer John Wilson appeared to point the finger of blame at construction crews.
In a report, he said there had been several issues including “less than required contractor productivity”.
The main contractor on the scheme is Morrison Construction who have taken on CHAP as a subcontractor.
Insiders say the project has been hit with repeated problems, including the discovery of old water pipes that had to be dealt with.
But it’s understood no one from the council has been in touch with the teams to discuss any concerns they have about a lack of hard work.
In his report Mr Wilson, who is preparing to retire, added: “The magnitude of delay and possible mitigations are still being discussed.
“However, it is clear that the works will now not be completed in 2025 but are more likely to be Spring 2026.”
Talking to the Press and Journal, the authority’s finance convener Alex McLellan said: “The chief capital officer is the one managing these contractors. And if that’s his opinion, then certainly that is a fair one.”
“I am not out there managing these contracts directly. But what I would say is there is an expectation from the council that the contractors are delivering projects as quickly as possible and to the correct standard.
“So hopefully we can see things move forward and lessons can be learned.”
North-east Tory MSP and former council co-leader Douglas Lumsden blasted the comments.
He said: “The council has taken their eye off the ball and the blame lies solely at their door – not the workers.
“Businesses that have remained loyal to Union Street throughout these works now face paying the price for the council’s negligence in allowing timescales to slip.”
We told how cash-strapped council bosses in Aberdeen have hired a private firm to dish out fines to locals to try and clean up the city.
A spokeswoman for Aberdeen City Council said they don’t comment on reports before they’re considered by committees.
Douglas Lumsden MSP has blamed the council[/caption]
