The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
No city new-builds suitable to honour Queen Elizabeth II
Aberdeen will not name any newbuild projects after Queen Elizabeth II – at least, not yet.
City chiefs had suggested five options to be named in tribute to the late monarch, who ruled the country for 70 years.
She died at her beloved Balmoral Castle in September 2022.
Her Aberdeenshire holiday residence was a base for so many royal visits in the north-east during her reign.
And, after previously resisting calls to rename the revamped Union Terrace Gardens after Queen Elizabeth II, councillors were once again faced with a choice on how best to remember her.
Officials brought forward five projects, all aimed at the city’s youth, that might have fitted the bill.
Councillors were presented with the options of the replacement Hazlehead Academy, the new £1 million playpark at Hazlehead Park, the Aberdeen Beach urban park or new primary schools in Tillydrone and Newhills.
The city finance committee could also have chosen any of the other capital projects on the Granite City’s books, thereby meaning even a controversial low emissions zone could be given a touch of regal splendour on its opening.
But in the end, they chose not to name anything after Queen Elizabeth II at this time.
The finance committee unanimously agreed there were “no suitable projects” currently on the council books.
However, they agreed to keep the naming of future projects under review.
Aberdeen City Council’s building projects will be looked at on a yearly basis to see if any are worthy of being named after the late monarch.
Councillors also agreed the public should be consulted on any option for a possible royal tribute, before a final decision is made.
It comes amid simmering anger in Tillydrone after parents of Riverbank School pupils were unaware of the possible renaming before reading the news in The Press and Journal and The Evening Express.
A subsequent P&J survey found 41% of our readers polled were against naming a big-money Aberdeen project after Queen Elizabeth II.
Another 29% of those polled showed support for remembering the late Queen at the planned urban park at Aberdeen Beach.