25 April 2019

Lessons to be learned from Ballater Station project

Councillors today praised the work done to restore the historic Ballater Station, but recognised that lessons needed to be learned from the highly complex project.

After the devastating blaze ripped through the building in May 2015, officers quickly committed to the restoration of the structure, working with partners including Historic Environment Scotland and the Royal Household.

The initial project was expected to be completed in late 2017, however some funding sources did not come to fruition and revised reports were approved by councillors which resulted in a delay to the opening, as well as an increase in the overall cost to £4.2 million (estimated project cost in 2016 was £3.2 million).

Officers, partners and councillors were united in their vision to deliver a restoration project that met community needs, was appropriate for the stature and historical importance of the station and recognised its role in supporting the local and regional economy. With the fire occurring so close to Storm Frank it was evident that the Ballater community required intervention to support the economic benefits the village ultimately attracts to Aberdeenshire.

The result is a restoration carried out to an extremely high standard which has been shortlisted for and been successful in a number of national awards.

When it became clear that the project had taken longer and cost more than planned, officers were asked to carry out a review of the process and internal procedures. This was to give partners, councillors and the wider community assurance that whenever a significant piece of work on this scale takes an unexpected turn, Aberdeenshire Council will always review each step in the process to be sure that value for money was achieved.

In the meeting today, the detailed post-project review was scrutinised. The report concludes that if the focus is on the end result, it is hard to see how the project can be considered as anything but a success. The project cost more and took longer to complete, but this was anything but a “normal” project. The extra time and cost were justified and were a fair reflection of the quality product achieved.

At the meeting, councilors agreed to develop an action plan based on the recommendations set out in the report to aid learning in all major, complex construction projects. This will be considered by Business Services Committee for on-going review and scrutiny.

Provost Cllr Bill Howatson said: “Make no mistake, we can all see the benefits we have realised from this project, and the work, effort and skill which went in to the restoration. The fire itself was tragic, however what we have now is an internationally recognised facility which will continue to draw visitors to Aberdeenshire from across the globe. The importance of restoring this listed building sensitively and accurately cannot be overstated.

“It is sensible that when the initial project aims are not met, we will carry out a review to make sure we can be clear on why. This allows officers to take any learnings back into their future work. My congratulations to everyone who worked to get this important asset open and operational and I know it is something of which the Ballater community are rightfully very proud.”