First it was coals to Newcastle and tea to China. Now developers in Aberdeen have prompted anger and disbelief by importing 180 tonnes of granite – the rock for which it is renowned – for a new building project in the centre of the city.
Builders have ordered a shipment the rock from China despite Aberdeen’s nickname being “the Granite City” – which it earned because most of its old buildings, pavements and public statues were built from granite sourced from local quarries.
The £107 million Marischal Square development will stand opposite Marischal College, Europe’s second largest granite building and one of the Scottish city’s most visited historical sites. Locals opposed to the project have described the decision to import the rock as “sacrilege”.
“Given the history of the city, to be building with Chinese granite is a cultural catastrophe,” Alex Johnstone, the Conservative MSP for Northeast Scotland told The Scotsman. “So much that is important to Aberdeen is based on a tradition of granite. This represents a complete misjudgement by those behind this development.”
Marischal Square will comprise a ten storey hotel, office and shopping space on the site of St Nicholas House, the former headquarters of Aberdeen City Council. Some local residents already believe that the development will be an eyesore and say the importing of stone from abroad adds insult to injury.
Contractor Muse Developments said it had decided to source the granite from China after an “exhaustive tendering process”.
A spokesman confirmed that the shipment is due to arrive from the Far East in May or June next year. A spokesman for the council said the sourcing of the stone was a matter for the contractor.
Aberdeen’s Rubislaw quarry closed down in 1971, but granite is still produced for local building projects in nearby Kemnay and Corrennie. However, local firm Bon Accord Granite said it sourced stone from Africa, Asia, South America and Europe to keep prices down.
