Broadford Works to go on display

Plans to transform an A-listed former factory in Aberdeen into a multi-million-pound urban village will go on display next month.

Ferness Investment Holdings have lodged a proposal of application notice outlining a bid for 890 units, including private rented and student flats, as well as nursery, restaurant, cafe and bar facilities.

The new plans for the historical Broadford Works site on the city’s Maberly Street will be displayed to the public on December 1 at Aberdeen College, from 3-8pm.

The site has been earmarked for a £50million redevelopment for years, with owner Ian Suttie having consent for more than 500 homes, commercial units, restaurants and a nursery.

The former Richards factory closed its doors in 2004, with hundreds of jobs lost. It has since become a frequent target for vandals and firebugs.

Demolition on parts of the site, which contains the biggest collection of at-risk listed buildings in Scotland including the Grey Mill – the fourth oldest ironframed building in the world – began last month.

A spokesman for the company said: “We would definitely encourage people to come and have a look.

“We recognise that there is a high degree of public interest in the site and that there is a high degree of historical merit.

“The application is at a preliminary stage so any public comments we receive will be taken onboard.”

George Street councillor Nathan Morrison said it was “vital” that development began on the site adding it was a “huge part of the city’s industrial heritage”.

He said: “It’s frankly unbelievable it has got to this stage since there has been permission there for so long.

“I think development must go ahead and I know that it is an issue close to lots of people in the area.”