The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
City pressing on with £1.5m Belmont plan
City leaders are pushing forward with £1.5 million plans to make Aberdeen’s Belmont Street area a “cafe culture” destination for locals and visitors.
The Belmont Quarter has been earmarked for a major overhaul.
It includes a shake-up of traffic restrictions and licensing rules on Belmont Street, Little Belmont Street, Back Wynd and Gaelic Lane.
Design images of a freshened-up Belmont Quarter with outdoor dining areas and sheltered seating were first released in 2022.
Council officers have held public consultations and talks with businesses in the area.
A group of 30 Belmont Street traders have come together to bring back the buzz in the area and showcase its huge potential.
They are holding a one-day festival on September 7 with music, arts events, sport, literature and outdoor yoga.
The Big Belmont Bash will turn Belmont Street, Gaelic Lane and Little Belmont Street into a fully pedestrianised zone for the day.
The event could well offer a glimpse at its future.
Under the local authority’s latest, cars could be banned from Little Belmont Street to make it a “pedestrianised core to the area”.
Currently, general traffic is not allowed “except for access to off-street premises” which means vehicles can still drive through from Back Wynd for deliveries or drop-offs.
But if the new traffic measures are approved, the street will be open only for emergency services.
Papers say this will create “a pleasant and generous traffic-free space to meet and relax”.
There will be changes to road access in the surrounding streets too.
Belmont Street will be made one-way from Union Street to the entrance of Nando’s, and open only for service vehicles such as bin lorries and delivery drivers.
This would free up space for on-street dining and more seating at the beginning of the street to offer a nice welcome to the imagined “cafe corner” in the city centre.
Cars will still be allowed to drive through the upper section of Belmont Street – from Nando’s to The Triple Kirks – which will remain two-way to offer access to parking areas.
Meanwhile, Gaelic Lane and Back Wynd will be restricted to local and service access only.
The city council will review an update report on the Belmont Quarter and other major revamp projects in the city in November.