Planning officials are advocating for the £3 million restoration of Aberdeen’s Denburn to be “paused indefinitely” following the rejection of an essential grant.
The restoration initiative was initiated two years ago to enhance accessibility to the ancient stream and its adjacent wetland habitat for local residents.
According to the proposal, the 1.5-mile stretch from the Den of Maidencraig nature reserve to King’s Gate in the western part of the city was set to be improved.
The plan also included re-meandering the Denburn and establishing new pathways for visitors to enjoy.
For the past two years, council leaders have been exploring funding options for the project, seeking additional support from Sepa and Nestrans.
However, planning officials are now suggesting that the project be set aside indefinitely after being turned down for a £1.5 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
The local council has already received some financial commitments to help realise the project.
Sepa has promised up to £950,000 through its Water Environment Fund; however, this funding is time-sensitive and could be forfeited if the project is postponed.
Additionally, they have provided another £250,000 to assist with the design work.
Funding has also been secured from Nestrans and bus lane fines for the new pathway construction, which will only be available if the proposal progresses.
Nonetheless, planning chief David Dunne noted that if they do not secure the remaining funds necessary to complete the project by September, they will have to return all the funds received.
The overall cost of the scheme is estimated at around £3 million – nearly one million more than initially projected.
After obtaining initial funding and collaborating with Sepa to develop the project, city officials were tasked with locating external sources for the final funding needed.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund was identified as the most suitable option, and the application was submitted in November – but was declined just a few months later.
Lottery officials stated they preferred to allocate funds to other projects and suggested that the Denburn project would benefit from increased financial backing from the council instead.
Now, Mr. Dunne has advised that it would be prudent to postpone the project until they can explore other funding opportunities.
This is one of four options proposed by his planning team, which also includes proceeding as planned despite the grant rejection and abandoning the restoration entirely.
Members of the local authority’s net zero, environment, and transport committee will discuss the Denburn project during their meeting next week.
