The site of Aberdeen City Council's former headquarters at St Nicholas House has been put on the open market.

Aberdeen City Council is inviting expressions of interest from developers for the prime site in civic heart of the city.

Councillors have instructed that the 14 storey St Nicholas House, which was erected in 1968 and housed the local authority until last year, is to be demolished to pave the way for the regeneration of the east end of the city centre, bringing significant economic and environmental benefits.

Provost Skene's House, one of the oldest buildings in Aberdeen, is enclosed by the brownfield site and will form the centrepiece of any redevelopment.

The 0.92 hectare St Nicholas House site is considered to be suitable for a mix of uses, including hotel, office, residential, retail and leisure. The Bon Accord Quarter Masterplan gives developers guidance about proposals which would be acceptable for the site.

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Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure director Gordon McIntosh said: "This is a truly unique opportunity for a developer with flair and imagination to acquire what is arguably the city's best development site at a time when the local economy is one of the most dynamic in the UK and several other exciting projects are also in the pipeline.

"There are not many development opportunities left in the city centre and this is a fantastic one which is at the heart of everything we are doing in Aberdeen. This site links in with the City Centre Development Framework and the Bon Accord Quarter Masterplan. We have no preconceived ideas about the use of the site, which presents a range of exciting mixed-use opportunities in the city's civic heart."

Commercial property agent Ryden has been appointed to market the site on behalf of the city council. Managing partner in Aberdeen Bill Duguid said: "We are delighted to be offering such an exciting development opportunity at a time when the local economy is also benefiting from the announcement of some very exciting projects and significant new investment by the energy sector.

"We expect keen interest from a wide range of local and national developers who hopefully will bring some imaginative proposals for the development of this very important site."

The early stage of the demolition of St Nicholas House has begun. The soft strip is due to begin next month [April].

A closing date for offers will be set and councillors will consider bids in due course.

(GK)