The current Union Terrace Gardens opened in 1879 are sunken into the landscape of Aberdeen and cover approximately two and a half acres.
To the North of the gardens, is His Majesty's Theatre, to the south -Union Street, to the west — Union Terrace and to the East the railway line.
In 2008, Sir Ian Wood first announced his plans to donate £50m to the redevelopment of Union Terrace Gardens.
In January 2010, initial concept graphics were created following a technical appraisal of the gardens' potential by Halliday Fraser Munro.
It also showed that the main concerns of the public were the amount of concrete, cost, the need for a contemporary arts centre, the potential for the development to become another shopping destination and the loss of green space.
[3] Six were then chosen to move forward to the Public Exhibition which was held at [The Academy Shopping Centre] between 19 October and 2 November 2011.
[9] On 14 December 2011, Aberdeen City Council approved a referendum on the future of Union Terrace Gardens.
[10] All persons registered on Aberdeen's local government electoral roll by 10 January 2012 were eligible to vote.
[11] Also on 16 February, BBC Radio Scotland broadcast a live debate on the City Garden Project.
[19] The project was estimated to cost £140m - £50m of which was guaranteed by Aberdeen oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood.
In 2012, a further pledge was made by Sir Ian Wood to donate a further £35m should the project run over budget.