Piper Alpha statue at centre of garden redesign row gets protected status

The Piper Alpha memorial is in Aberdeen's Hazlehead Park

A memorial to the Piper Alpha disaster has been given protected status following controversial plans to redesign the garden that surrounds it.

A total of 167 men died when the platform exploded in July 1988.

The sculpture - the centrepiece of a rose garden in Aberdeen's Hazlehead Park - has been listed as Category B by Historic Environment Scotland.

It means its "cultural significance" will have to be taken into account when decisions are made about the site.

The Pound for Piper Memorial Trust announced last year that it wanted to raise £500,000 from oil and gas companies to redesign the rose garden.

But it was branded "completely inappropriate" by some survivors and their families.

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HES said the new designation, which follows a public consultation, recognised the site's importance.

The garden will also be added to the Inventory of Gardens and Designated Landscapes, meaning its status will have to be taken into account when deciding planning applications.

"The garden and memorial are important sites of public commemoration and memory that connect people and communities to the enduring legacies of the Piper Alpha disaster," Dara Parsons, head of designations at HES said.

"Designated status for these sites means that their cultural significance will be taken into account in future decisions about their management."

Steve Rae, chairman of the Pound for Piper Memorial Trust, said: "We are pleased that HES has concluded its report into the designation of the Piper Alpha Memorial and the North Sea Memorial Rose Garden.

"The Pound for Piper Memorial Trust submitted their comments and words of support to HES during the review process and see this as a positive outcome that should help to ensure that the tragic events of the 6th of July 1988, and the memory of those who tragically lost their lives, will be forever remembered through the memorial and its gardens."

Piper Alpha remains the world's worst offshore disaster.