News has broken in the last few hours that Aberdeen City Council this evening have voted against the preservation of the historic Union Terrace Gardens and Peacock Visual Arts (previously approved and funded) new gallery, and in favour of Sir ian Wood’s concrete retail scheme. Full article on the BBC here.

Word leaked out via Facebook and Twitter, where currently there is much rage (look under #UTG) being directed at Wood, the pantomime villain of the piece. Despite rounds of protest, a 10,000 strong petition, public consulation and a vote in favour of keeping the gardens, apparently democracy, sustainability, logic and conventional wisdom are all asses when it comes to to the age old corruptive influence of money and power. It’s a shameful day for Scotland and Britain, not just Aberdeen, and we all have to hope that this absurd vanity project can by halted be some higher heejuns somewhere who won’t buckle under the pressure like ACC did tonight.