Alive@5 scheme approved

06 September 2018

An £80,000 project to help to attract people into the city centre in evenings was approved by members of the operational resources committee today.

The Alive@5 scheme will have a six-month trial period where four multi-storey car parks will be free of charge from 5pm until 8am the next morning.

The four off-street multi car parks taking part in the scheme would be Denburn, Chapel Street, Frederick Street, and West North Street, and they would be affected from Monday to Saturdays, and unchanged on Sundays.

Aberdeen City Council operational delivery committee vice convener Councillor Philip Bell said: “It is fantastic the Alive@5 scheme has been agreed by committee as it should encourage people to stay in the city centre longer into the evenings.

“This in turn will help with the economic vibrancy of the area, and also ensure the city centre continues to grow its social and cultural offering for residents and visitors alike.”

The trial period for the Alive@5 scheme will start from 1 October 2018, and a review of progress of the trial will be reported back to operational delivery committee on 14 March 2019.

A budget allocation of £80,000 has been included to offset the reduction in income over the six-month trial period, however if this scheme is introduced on a permanent basis then this reduction in income will increase proportionately. The approval of the £80,000 for the Alive@5 scheme is to be considered by the City Growth committee on 18 September.