Members of the public have pledged thousands of pounds to support a legal challenge against the bus gates in Aberdeen City Centre.
Veteran trader Norman Esslemont is looking to raise £35,000 to support a potential court battle against the traffic measures, which have been described as "incomprehensibly stupid" by a former member of the SNP-Lib Dem coalition which introduced them.
More than £7,000 has already been pledged by members of the public who are backing a legal effort being led by top law firm Burness Paull.
Mr Esslemont has hired Alasdair Sutherland, the same lawyer who took on Highland Council’s plans to introduce similar traffic bans in Inverness. After reviewing the Aberdeen case, Mr Sutherland said the matter is “challengeable in court” and warned councillors of the consequences of their decisions.
You can view the crowdfunder page here.
In his campaign statement, Mr Esslemont writes: “This is not just a fight for local businesses, it’s about ensuring the city centre remains accessible and welcoming for everyone.
“We need to send a strong message to the council that they must listen to the thousands of people in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas who are negatively affected by the bus gates. Together, we can reclaim the city centre we once loved.”
The money raised will be used to dig deeper into all of the details around the decision to make the bus gates permanent, in an effort to make the case “as strong as possible”.
This could include ordering additional reports on the economic and traffic impact of the proposed measures.
The council ruling group has refused to retreat and voted to keep the bus gates, with their legal advisors insisting “they have followed the processes lawfully”.
SNP rebel Alex Nicoll, who once led the party but later resigned over the bus gates, says restricting access to the city centre is "incomprehensibly stupid".
But his successor, Christian Allard, said that people should “look at the bigger picture” and that he’s ready to be judged for his actions in the next elections in 2027.