Aberdeen City Council staff are to meet and agree next steps with all relevant parties, including survivors of and families affected by the Piper Alpha disaster and trade unions, to redesign the North Sea Memorial Rose Garden, a committee agreed yesterday (13 July).
The Pound for Piper Memorial Trust launched a redesign project on 13 May 2022 sharing a conceptual design, gathering feedback, gauging the level of support, and raising funding.
The project looks to support the future of the gardens and reflects the Trust’s vision and long-term purpose to ensure that the monument and gardens are maintained to a high standard for years to come. In their own words, ‘to ensure that the gardens remain a special place for solace, comfort, and contemplation’.
A report to Full Council said the Piper Alpha Memorial and the North Sea Memorial Rose Garden are of huge significance to those affected by the Piper Alpha disaster, and to the people of Aberdeen, and the council recognises the importance of fully consulting on any proposal to ensure all voices are heard, as part of any decision-making process.
The Council unanimously agreed the outcome of the meeting with the Trust and all relevant parties is to be reported back to Operational Delivery Committee in August 2022, along with a cost estimate and funding options for the planting of the rose beds as an interim measure.
They also agreed as part of the formal process, any proposed changes to the gardens will be subject to consultation and all relevant planning approvals and the final decision on the future of the memorial and the gardens will be made by the Council.
The report to committee said wider public has also put forward a number of comments on the redesign, both for and against it. On 6 June 2002, a petition with more than 5,000 signatures, ‘Stop the redesign and renaming of the Piper Alpha Memorial Garden’ was received by Aberdeen City Council.
The report said there has been no discussion between the Pound for Piper Memorial Trust and Aberdeen City Council on rebranding or renaming the memorial or the gardens. There has been no final decision made on the garden redesign.
The memorial sculpture, which has the names of all 167 men who died engraved on the pink granite plinth alongside their ages, was erected on 6 July 1991, on the third anniversary of the disaster.
The official brochure relating to “The Piper Alpha Memorial” was published in 1991 within it, the Piper Alpha Memorial is referred to as the “memorial,” but the gardens surrounding it are referred to as “The North Sea Rose Garden.”
The report to committee said records available to the council’s Environmental Services have the garden named the North Sea Memorial Rose Garden.
Furthermore, the report said, the name of the garden was reconfirmed in 2013, at the 25-year rededication ceremony and new ‘North Sea Memorial Rose Garden’ signs were installed at this time.
Pound for Piper was set up in 2012 to ensure that the Piper Alpha Memorial and the gardens are cared for and maintained to a high standard. For many years, the Trust has invested funding and their time in supporting the gardens.