Aberdeen City Council's Finance and Resources Committee has approved the launch of the Silver City Heritage & Place Programme. Scheduled to begin this summer, the new initiative is designed to sustain the momentum of heritage-led regeneration in the city centre following the conclusion of the highly successful Union Street Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme (CARS).

The Silver City Heritage & Place Programme will operate in tandem with ongoing assistance from the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust, aiming to preserve, maintain, and enhance the city's unique historic architectural and landscape heritage.

Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: "Aberdeen's granite city centre is unique. It is important to preserve and protect it whilst also ensuring the buildings are fit for modern uses.

"Projects such as the Silver City Heritage and Place Programme – and its CARS predecessor – help deliver this."

Committee Convener Councillor Alex McLellan added: "It is good that the work for the new Silver City Heritage & Place Programme will continue alongside projects by the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust.

"We have an interesting and diverse history of how the city centre was built and developed from mediaeval times to the present day so it is important this story is told while ensuring buildings are fit for purpose."

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The committee report highlighted the significant impacts achieved by the predecessor Union Street CARS project. Established in 2017 as a £2.4 million initiative, the five-year programme was extended to mitigate delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Key achievements from the CARS project include:

• Building Restoration: 21 buildings were repaired utilizing building repair grant assistance, which included five designated priority buildings. Notably, repairs were completed on the prominent Bruce Miller clock.

• Space Reclassification: Eight vacant buildings—representing 2,135 square metres of internal floorspace—were successfully brought back into active use.

• Financial Investment: A total of £1.98 million in grants was awarded, which successfully leveraged an additional £1.35 million in financial contributions from property owners.

• Community Engagement: The scheme delivered 43 public events and workshops engaging more than 1,900 participants, including homeowners, school pupils, and the general public. Educational outreach involved 50 local schools and approximately 1,800 pupils.

• Skills and Training: 12 specialist training events and four drop-in sessions engaged over 120 participants. This included eight contractor courses covering traditional skills like lime mortar work, roofing, joinery, structural repairs, and energy retrofits, alongside four dedicated sessions for homeowners. Financial grants also supported two roofing apprentices.

The approved report also establishes a strengthened working relationship between Aberdeen City Council and the Aberdeen City Heritage Trust. The Trust operates as a registered charity dedicated to promoting the conservation, maintenance, and enhancement of Aberdeen's historic built environment through discretionary repair grants, interpretation projects, and educational training events.

Aberdeen City Council has maintained a long-standing history of supporting the charity, including a £450,000 funding allocation spanning three years agreed within the 2024/25 Council budget. This funding is specifically earmarked for structural upgrades across the western section of the city centre. Capital works already benefiting from this investment include comprehensive reroofing and dormer remodelling at 363 Union Street, with the Trust currently in advanced negotiations to progress three additional regeneration projects along Union Street.