ABERDEEN CITY COUNCIL Name of Committee : Resources Management th Date of Meeting : 14 September 2006 Title of Report : Development Plan for the creation of a Railway heritage Centre, using the Ferryhill Engine Shed. Lead Officer : Gordon McIntosh Corporate Director Neighbourhood Services South Author of Report : Norrie Steed, Head of Service, Shelter and Environment • (52) 3096 [email protected] Other Involvement: Councillor Irene Cormack Douglas Paterson, Chief Executive Consultation undertaken with: Susan Cooper, City Chamberlain Jane MacEachran, City Solicitor Dr Margaret Bochel, Head of Service: Planning & Infrastructure Mike Duncan, Asset Management Manager James Forbes, Surveyor –Asset Management Frances Swanston, Planner (Conservation & Design) Planning & Infrastructure Colin Stuart, Principal Parks and Countryside Officer David Forsyth, Grounds Maintenance Manager David Fryer, Community Planning Officer Dennis Inkson, Roads Engineer Jon Tyler, The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society Pete Mearns, The Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society Summary of Report The purpose of this report is to seek the Committee’s in principle approval for the establishment of a railway heritage centre, using the Ferryhill Engine Shed. Links to the Community Plan and to a Partnership for Aberdeen This proposal directly links to the promotion of Aberdeen. Recommendations The Committee approves, in principle, that the Ferryhill Engine Shed be leased to the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society (Registered Scottish Charity SCO27686) and that access to it be enabled via Duthie Park, subject to the following qualifications: i. the Railway Heritage Centre will be solely within the confines of the Ferryhill Engine Shed and will not now , or at any time in the future, involve the opening of railway access using the route known as the Deeside railway line walk except with the express consent of Aberdeen City Council; ii. the Deeside Railway Preservation society will provide clear details of its constitution and status as a recognised charity, to the Aberdeen City Council; iii. the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society will be solely responsible for making all further progress with bids for funding; iv. that a document be drawn up by Aberdeen City Council Legal Services which clearly states the agreed responsibilities and liabilities of all parties which would be involved in the Ferryhill Railway Trust which has been proposed as the body charged with running the proposed Railway Heritage Centre; v. the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society shall provide Aberdeen city council with a document which contains a clear and unambiguous statement of the scope and nature of its intended bid for funding to the Heritage Lottery Fund; vi. the development would require both planning permission and listed building consent. The engine shed is Category B listed and therefore any approval by the Council for listed building consent will be subject to final approval from Historic Scotland; vii. a contaminated land study will be required from the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society by the Council's contaminated land unit to ensure that there is no risk to people using the site from contamination caused by the storage and/ or use of substances harmful to human health when the railway was in operation ; viii. a condition of any Heritage Lottery Grant would be a 99 year lease at a rent which the Ferryhill Railway Trust can be expected to afford, or, outright purchase by the Ferryhill Railway Trust at a figure which reflects the current condition of the building; and ix. the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society shall, at all times, take proper account of the Council’s plans for the restoration of Duthie Park and ensure that they are compatible with the Council’s plans, by undertaking any appropriate survey of the local residents. Implementation This would depend on the timescales applicable to the bid. Resource Implications: People: There are no implications in terms of this report Finance: The Council would benefit from a small rental income from the leasing of the site and, in the longer term, from increased visitors to the Duthie Park Systems & Technology: None Property and Other Equipment: The terms of a leasing agreement would have to be worked out between the Council and the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society Other Implications Health & Safety: The Engine Shed would have to be fully restored to a safe working condition by the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society Risk Management: This is an opportunity to continue to promote Aberdeen’s rich Victorian heritage and to increase tourism, with the economic benefits that this would bring to the City. Human Rights/Equalities/Diversity: None in this report Sustainability: The Heritage Centre would require to be self-funding Signature: Main Considerations 1. Background 1.1 The Current Building Ferryhill engine shed is a ‘B’ listed building, sited next to Polmuir Avenue, and was formerly used by the ‘old’ Contracting Services Department for Aberdeen City Council as a storage depot. It is now unsafe and no longer in operational use. A condition survey in May 2004 indicated that around £305,000 would be required to bring it into a suitable state. 1.2 The Royal Deeside Railway In 1996/7 the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society approached the Council with a request to be granted access to the embankment, but allowing the existing footpath to remain. The intention was to rebuild missing bridges and run a tourist attraction railway but this was declined because of a number of major factors, including disturbance to households along the line, loss of wildlife habitat and trees along the route etc. The society now wishes only to apply for permission to run a railway heritage centre which is solely within the confines of the Ferryhill Engine Shed. They would also like the project, if it was given permission to proceed, to be administered by a Trust, The Ferryhill Railway Trust, consisting of members from both the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society and selected Council representatives. The initial strategy would be to lease the site, with an eventual opportunity to purchase the Shed and its ground. 1.3 Ground Maintenance Depot Although the Shed is no longer in use, the Council’s Grounds Maintenance Services operate a depot sited between it and Polmuir Avenue. 1.4 Access Issues The Society would wish to have access, on a permanent basis, to the Shed via adjacent land, which, at present, contains an A-Listed locomotive turntable. Network Rail has thus far resisted this, on the grounds that the land is still operational railway land posing a safety issue and Scotia Homes will develop the adjacent property. This may also prejudice the long-term future of the Grounds Maintenance Depot, which uses Polmuir Avenue for access. 1.5 A Roads Engineer’s View of Access Issues In January 2004, Roads (Developments & Traffic) provided a professional opinion on the feasibility of various forms of access to the shed. In short, it indicated that: i. additional traffic passing through the Grounds Maintenance Depot would be a safety hazard to staff working in that Depot; ii. the above access could be used for essential vehicles such as construction/maintenance machines working on the shed but it was stressed that such access would not be suitable for members of the public; iii. there are serious reservations to using the current footpath within the Duthie Park for vehicular access because of safety hazards to pedestrians, especially children; iv. a road route, between the current car park in Duthie Park and the shed, would not be feasible because of the gradient which would result; and v. a pedestrian route between the current car park and the shed would also have a steep gradient. 1.6 Duthie Park Heritage Bid At present, a Heritage Lottery Fund bid is being taken forward and consideration must be given to the impact of the Society’s plans (should they be successful ultimately) on this. 2. Issues to be Clarified The following issues are essential and have to be clarified if the project is to move forward: i. access to the shed; ii. rent; iii. the definition and constitution of the organisation which will make the bid; iv. the responsibilities/liabilities of that organisation; v. the terms of legal relationship with the Council –legal services to sort out; and vi. a Clear and unambiguous statement of what the bid will be asking for . 2.1 Access to the Shed This has to enable: i. Passage of vehicles/plant for the renovation of the shed. ii. Passage of vehicles carrying exhibits to stock the museum. iii. Access to the shed by staff of the Museum and by members of the public who wish to visit. There may be a number of potential solutions, including: a. proper, safe access alongside or through the Grounds Maintenance Depot, paid for by a successful bid by the Society; or b. moving the Grounds Maintenance Depot, with costs paid for by a successful bid by the Society; or c. reducing the size of the Grounds Maintenance Depot, moving aspects of it (or discontinuing them if not needed), costs paid for as above; and d. building a “zig-zag” pedestrian footpath up from the Duthie Park to link to a), b) or c) above, costs paid for as before and fitting in with the principles of the Duthie Park Heritage Lottery Fund Bid). This would reduce the gradient and facilitate access for folk with physical disabilities. 2.2 Rent The Society has suggested that the Council might wish to consider providing it with access to the land on which the shed is built, by means of a reasonable annual rent. 2.3 Definition and constitution of the organisation which will make the bid It is understood, from section 2 of the Ferryhill Railway Heritage Centre Development Plan (See Appendix 2) that the Royal Deeside Railway Preservation Society is a recognised Scottish Charity.