We wanted to update you and to ask for your help.

As many of you will know Peacock’s major new arts centre in Union Terrace Gardens is under threat from Sir Ian Wood’s plan to build over Aberdeen’s only city centre park.

Sir Ian wants to create a street-level square and underground real estate at the cost of at least £50 million to the public purse.

Meanwhile, Peacock’s funding is attached to our original scheme, which was designed to be sympathetic to Union Terrace Gardens, retaining the green space and as many of the trees as possible.

Since Sir Ian Wood’s plan involves filling in the Gardens in their entirety there is no place in it for Peacock’s scheme.

In short, if his goes ahead Peacock loses it’s funding and Aberdeen loses the art centre.

In spite of this, our funders at the Scottish Arts Council agreed to ring-fence Peacock’s money for 12 months until December 2009 to allow the viability of Wood’s proposal to be investigated.

This deadline is now fast approaching. Without a positive decision by the end of this year Peacock will lose its money and be forced to abandon the Arts Centre. Aberdeen will risk ending up with nothing.

We have only a few weeks to convince the City that the people of Aberdeen do not want to lose the Gardens as a beautiful piece of our environmental heritage, and Peacock as a vital part of our cultural future.

PLEASE sign the petition now and pass on to your friends.

Going forward, ACSEF (Aberdeen City and Shire Economic Future) is planning to run a public consultation that will decide the fate of the Gardens. Whilst ACSEF have been vocal supporters of Sir Ian’s scheme, we remain hopeful that a sensible option might still be pursued; one that uses Peacock’s money and planning permission to deliver a new arts centre in the Gardens as a first phase of a wider redevelopment of the area. This inclusive option could, we believe, give the city a win-win.

If you are interested there is more information on our website http://www.peacockvisualarts.com/new-building/

We will be in touch as soon as we know more.

Thanks, as ever, for all your support.

Elly and the Peacock Team.

Elly Rothnie
Campaign Director

P E A C O C K visual arts
21 Castle Street (off Castlegate)
ABERDEEN
AB11 5BQ

t: 01224 652996
f: 01224 627094
e: elly@peacockvisualarts.co.uk