Aberdeen Council Confirms Temporary Castlegate Resurfacing Will Lack Aesthetic Appeal

A section of Aberdeen’s historic Castlegate is scheduled for temporary resurfacing, utilizing surplus materials from ongoing roadworks across the city. Aberdeen City Council stated that a proper repair of the square’s existing flagstones would exceed £1.5 million. However, these flagstones would subsequently need removal as part of plans to develop Castlegate into an enhanced connection between the city centre and the beach. The provisional surface will consist of compacted road planings, which are materials excavated during other road construction projects within Aberdeen. The council acknowledged that this would not constitute the most “aesthetically-pleasing of surfaces.” In an official statement, the council declared: “It is acknowledged that while the compacted road planings will not be the most aesthetically-pleasing of surfaces, the works will allow the area to be kept safe whilst minimising expenditure on an area which will soon be redeveloped”. This initiative will establish a surface for vehicles traversing Castlegate, concurrently with repair efforts on the traditional granite cassies located in the square’s pedestrian zones. The flagstones, originally installed in the 1990s on the historic square at the east end of Union Street, are to be retained for possible deployment in future endeavors. The commencement of this work is anticipated within the coming weeks.