Time to sort city centre is upon us

Sir, – It seems as if there just could be some glimmers of hope for a post-one-trick pony future if the Castlegate is to have traffic return to it once more. After the clueless creation of the current uneven surface and the permanent loss of the car park which fed trade, it’s as if we have come full circle.

The new Aberdeen Inspired signage, lovingly created and installed by Luxous, may prove to be more than a current talking point, but the hard work to bring the city centre up to international standards seen elsewhere must start with immediate effect. That means keeping the streets cleaner than ever, free of litter and mess.

Reducing grime on the buildings and following through on a wider, joined-up-thinking plan to reinvigorate and rejuvenate all our built environment with emissions and environmental concerns must be part of the remit, and now if there’s some genuine wit and intelligence, instead of listening to petroleum plutocrats and their entourage who – despite claims of never having anything to do with civic design and gardens – have lied about that again. That way luxe brands like Chanel may actually want to be here instead of severing ties with Ian Wood’s friend Charles Michie as they’ve done recently.

The real citizens of this city, who aren’t the soon-tobe-redundant and dead oil industry, could see the true benefits of a diverse and eclectic economy.

Create a city centre to be proud of, with returned realworld retail ensuring locals can be employed without losing them to the barmy brain drain that certain people from the AGCC were part of.

Ian Beattie, Aberdeen.