A man whose father was never recovered from the Piper Alpha disaster has criticised an “unthinkable” lack of consultation on plans to revamp the memorial gardens.
Shane Gorman said the Piper Alpha Memorial statue, which contains human remains, is “like a cemetery to us, because we don’t have a gravestone to go to”.
He said he and others have not been consulted on recently-announced plans for a £500,000 revamp of the memorial gardens in Aberdeen’s Hazlehead Park, which commemorate those impacted by the disaster, including the 167 men who lost their lives.
He said: “There’ll be lots of families out there, connected to Piper, who still won’t know this is going ahead.
“From that perspective, imagine if you just turned up one day and there was work going on? People would be beside themselves.”
Pound for Piper, the trust behind the plans, said it intends to respond to all feedback directly with families.
Mr Gorman said he’s not opposed to the revamp of the gardens or the idea of a “better place to have solace” but the lack of consultation with families has caused him “anger”.
“That is a place for people to go to remember fathers and grandfathers and everyone else and, for someone to decide ‘we’re going to do this’ is unthinkable.”
Similar concerns have been raised by BBC presenter Iona Ballantyne, whose late father Bob Ballantyne survived the tragedy, around a lack of consultations.
1/11 The Piper Alpha memorial garden is being redesigned & rebranded by a charity which did not confirm it intentionally to the families involved before going ahead with their plans.
This is why it was such an important place for my late father, Bob Ballantyne – a survivor. pic.twitter.com/lPHku3sdCl
— Iona Ballantyne (@IonaBallantyne) May 19, 2022
In response, Steve Rae, chairman of the Pound for Piper Trust, told Energy Voice: “We took the decision to go ahead with the launch before consultation with family/survivors and the public knowing that even with our best efforts it would be highly unlikely that we would be successful in connecting with many of those who were directly impacted by the disaster in particular those who lost family, loved ones, colleagues and work mates.
“With this in mind we realised that we would receive feedback, both supportive and critical, on our proposed re-development as soon as it was launched. Our intention was, is, to respond to these personally and privately, which we have been doing since the launch last Friday.”
Mr Rae, himself a Piper Alpha survivor, clarified there will be no concrete used in the re-design and none of the rose beds will be ripped or torn up.
There are currently rose-beds which have been filled and re-seeded which are being re-planted having perished due to winter frost – a common occurrence which is part of the reason behind the revamp.
© Supplied by DCTMediaHe said: “If the re-design goes ahead the roses that remain healthy will be replanted in the new planted areas, with any surplus being offered to the families and survivors’ families should they wish to have them. The remainder will be offered to the public for their personal use.
“We remain confident that this project remans the right thing to do for the long-term benefit of the gardens and the monument. We hope that through private and personal consultation we can address many of the concerns raised to date. That said there will always be some that will be against change, and we must accept that.”
The plans include improved access to the monument, 360 degree views and information boards detailing the history and legacy of Piper Alpha
Many have also given support to the proposals.
Joe Meanen, one of the survivors of the tragedy, told Energy Voice: “Something like this revamp will always upset some people, quite understandably.
“I do support this modernisation of the gardens and the idea that it will also be a reminder for everyone that people unfortunately paid with their lives while working offshore.
“Hopefully the revamp will get the attention of the next generation of offshore workers and the importance of safety.”
© Supplied by Pound for Piper MemoMarc Reid, whose late father was also a survivor of Piper Alpha, said: “Ultimately, I’m in favour of the initiative. Taking the longest possible term view of the situation, we must (as difficult as it is) focus on helping the garden thrive into the furthest future imaginable.”
“Would we ever want the Eyemouth Fishing Disaster memorial to be lost? Would we ever wish to see the Lockerbie Garden fall into disrepair? Might more be done to memorialize the tragic accident that happened at the now abandoned and largely forgotten Louden Castle Theme Park? I’d hope we’d be able to answer these questions unanimously…
“Visiting the Piper Alpha Garden in 2018 brought a therapeutic rest to my mind that I thought might never come. Seeing the garden as it was then will be a treasured memory for the remainder of my days.
“So, too, will I keep close the comforting thought that there are efforts afoot to see this pivotal place live on indefinitely.”
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