Thousands return to the city centre of Aberdeen

It's the first day back for many non-essential businesses in the Granite City

Primark in Aberdeen with its lengthy queue
Published 29th Jun 2020

Thousands of people have returned to Aberdeen city centre as some shops re-opened as part of our path out of lockdown.

Stores with an entrance facing onto a street were allowed to open their doors to customers from today and some had queuing systems in place to take advantage of the additional pedestrian space.

Areas around the city, including part of Union Street and nearby streets, are having temporary works installed to allow people to walk, cycle, and queue for buses, to visit shops, bars, and restaurants while adhering to physical distancing guidance and to support the NHS.

Aberdeen City Council transport spokeswoman Councillor Sandra Macdonald said: “It was great to see more people in the city centre again, bringing the area to life as some shops were given the green light to re-open.

“As it gets busier in the days and weeks ahead, we are asking people to continue to be considerate of others when walking, cycling, wheeling or driving about. Motorists should also plan their journey ahead, to avoid Union Street, before driving to city centre car parks.

“We want people to enjoy being able to come back into the city centre again and to feel safe doing so. We have implemented measures to make physical distancing possible and we look forward to more shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants reopening in the coming weeks.”

Motorists who are coming into the city centre are advised to plan their journey in advance talking appropriate routes which avoid Union Street to access city centre car parks.

People walking, cycling, wheeling and driving about the city have been asked to be considerate to each other as more shops reopen along with bars, cafes and restaurants in the coming weeks.

Union Street