The Urgent Business Committee of Aberdeen City Council was scheduled to consider the revised terms for the disposal of a surplus site at Oscar Road, Torry. The committee was also scheduled to determine any exempt business and receive notifications of urgent business.

Proposed Disposal of Surplus Site at Oscar Road, Torry - Revised Terms

The committee was scheduled to consider the proposed disposal of a surplus site located at the corner of Oscar Road and Grampian Road in Torry. This site, previously a nursery, is now cleared and measures 1.11 acres. The report pack indicated that the site was suitable for residential redevelopment.

The report pack detailed that offers for the site were received following a marketing campaign, and the Finance and Resources Committee had previously granted authority to proceed with the disposal. The committee was scheduled to review revised terms proposed by the purchaser, MLP Homes Ltd. The purchaser had advised that these revised terms were necessary due to current development viability pressures and that the site would be onward sold to a registered social landlord for affordable housing. The report pack stated that officers had reviewed the revised terms and found them to be supportable, with full details to be provided in an appendix.

The report pack highlighted the urgency of the matter, noting that the purchaser's construction costs were fixed only until the end of August 2026. A delay in approval could impact the development economics and the ability to proceed with the sale and the delivery of affordable homes. The proposed development was expected to deliver 18 affordable homes within the Torry community and bring a cleared brownfield site back into productive residential use.

The report pack included recommendations for the committee to approve the disposal of the site to MLP Homes Ltd on the revised terms and to instruct the Chief Officer Governance to vary the missives for the sale to reflect these terms. The financial implications of the disposal were detailed in an appendix, with the report pack noting that failure to approve the revised terms could result in the loss of a capital receipt and additional costs for the Council. Legal implications were also outlined, with officers considering the revised terms to be supportable and the Chief Officer Governance to be responsible for varying the missives to protect the Council's interests. Environmental implications were noted as positive, with the development supporting affordable housing and regenerating a brownfield site.

The report pack also included a risk assessment, which identified potential risks related to operational management of the vacant site, financial considerations, reputational damage if the site became subject to vandalism, and security risks from unauthorised access. The report pack indicated that the proposed disposal was aligned with the Council's Delivery Plan 2026, supporting objectives for affordable housing, economic stability through construction activity, and place-based regeneration in Torry. It also supported the Local Housing Strategy and the Council's Estates and Assets Strategy.

Notification of Urgent Business

The committee was scheduled to receive notifications of any urgent business that had arisen.

Determination of Exempt Business

The committee was scheduled to determine whether any business to be discussed was exempt from public disclosure. The report pack indicated that an appendix related to the disposal of the Oscar Road site was exempt under Paragraph 9 of Part I of Schedule 7A to the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.