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THE controversial £140million garden project in Aberdeen could soon bite the dust, it emerged yesterday.

Labour formed a coalition to run the city after winning the race to be the biggest party in last week’s elections.

And their first move was to announce a free vote on the future of the Union Terrace Gardens scheme.

The party’s 17 councillors will back calls to scrap it and they are confident of winning enough support from the Liberals and independents.

A source said: “There is a majority on the council who are against the plans. It is impossible to see it going ahead.

“It would have cost the council £55million and that is money we simply do not have.”

Plans to redevelop the gardens with a futuristic “Granite Web” design were narrowly backed in a city referendum. There were 45,301 votes for the project, compared with 41,175 to retain the gardens.

Oil tycoon Sir Ian Wood pledged £50million of his own money to the project, which he has championed since 2008.

However, even with other private backers, the skint council would have had to contribute about £55million of taxpayers’ cash.

Labour fought the election on a pledge to scrap the scheme while the SNP – who took 15 seats – were strongly in favour.

Sources said the garden clash was the main reason the two parties failed to form a coalition.

Yesterday, Labour celebrated taking the city after five years of an SNP-Lib Dem administration.

Barney Crockett, the new Labour council leader, said: “Aberdeen voted for change and change it will have.”

The news came after Labour won an outright majority in Glasgow and secured a Labour-led coalition with the SNP in Edinburgh.

Labour and the Tories also confirmed a deal to run Stirling Council.

The two parties will keep the SNP out of power, despite the Nationalists winning more seats.

But the SNP struck a deal with independents to head up the administration in Argyll and Bute.