Aberdeen "urban village" rejected due to lack of affordable housing

Developer First Construction applied for permission to develop Broadford Works, a historic nine acre former mill which has been derelict for eight years. The plans included apartments, shops, businesses and other community facilities.

The Council said that it had already drawn up a design brief for the site, which laid down guidance for potential developers and spelled out the requirement for a high-quality, conservation-led restoration of the historically important site.

"A majority on the sub-committee expressed their concerns over the lack of affordable housing and community facilities proposed in the scheme and said the number of apartments put forward to be built would have been an over-development of the Maberly Street site," the Council said. 

The development committee voted eight members against the proposals and four members in support of the proposals. Other concerns included the potential impact on the local road network and a lack of 'planning gain' developer contributions for local infrastructure improvements to accommodate the proposed development.

The Broadgate Works site contains the largest concentration of at-risk A-listed buildings in Scotland, the Council said. A number of members raised concerns about the number of historic buildings which had been earmarked for demolition, it said.

First Construction had proposed creating 517 new homes, almost 50,000 square feet of commercial space, a restaurant, a nursery and 569 parking spaces. Some 342 of the planned flats were to be newly built, with 175 more to be created in restored and converted buildings.

The scheme was recommended for approval by City Council planning officials, who proposed that 11 of the most architecturally significant buildings on the site should be restored.

The Broadford Works site already has planning permission in place, granted on appeal in 2010, for 398 flats comprising 177 new-build and 221 in restored buildings, along with 26,400 sq ft of retail space, a public house, a restaurant and offices.