Aberdeen responds to plans to turn vacant city centre office building into retail centre

Aberdeen residents have had their say after plans were unveiled to transform a city centre office building into a new retail space.

Atholl House, which sits above the railway station, has lain empty for nearly a decade with its brutalist architecture growing increasingly controversial. The building was first built in the 1970s during Aberdeen's oil and gas boom, and it became the home for civil servants into the latter decades.

Now, Cater Group has revealed details of how it could transform the building with an artist's impression of how the rebranded building could look. "The Metropolitan" would contain space for commercial units within a nearly 14,000 sq ft space, opening the door for potential shops or eateries.

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Developers name checked its location in the city centre and close links to key transport hubs, with both the rail and bus stations a stone's throw away from the Guild Street site, as a key reason behind their interest in the site.

Aberdonians were quick to share their opinions on the proposals, with some praising the plans as bringing some "excitement" to the city.

One said: "Brilliant news !! Some excitement - interest - inspiration for the city."

Meanwhile, another commented: "Very exciting times in this city. So much change."

However, some felt that the addition of another shopping centre is not what the city needs, with one person writing: "How many shops to they think they’re going to bring to the city, Union St revamp plus the new Market they plan to build, maybe use one as a Vape Centre and the other just takeaways."

The building was previously earmarked for demolition in 2018 and some feel that the best option would still be to knock it down.

One said: "Pull it down as well as the Trinity, the other architectural misfit. Liberate the monumental historic Union Bridge and restore a green Denburn valley from the train station to HM Theatre. Now that would be magnificent."

Another added: "Please just knock down all these horrible buildings and create more green spaces in Aberdeen. There's so much empty office space here, it's time to reinvent ourselves after the oil downturn and have a bit of ambition for our city."