Updates on three City Centre and Beach Masterplan projects – the phase A beach park, events park and Broadhill, Union Street Central streetscaping, and the Castlegate, was given at a Council committee.
The £150million commitment by Aberdeen City Council towards the City Centre and Beach Master Plan includes major improvement works underway at the city’s beach area, Union Street Central, and the new market building. They will create vibrant and accessible areas to help make the city a destination of choice for the benefit of residents, visitors, and businesses.
The updates were given to the Finance and Resources Committee. Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “Aberdeen City Council is driving forward significant investment in our city centre, and beachfront, to ensure Aberdeen continues to be a place people want to live, work, study, raise a family and do business.
“I am confidence that the beachfront regeneration, once completed, will provide a real destination venue for people and families from across the North East.”
Council Co-Leader Councillor Ian Yuill said: “We’ve already seen the success of the first of the £50million redevelopment of Aberdeen beach which opened at Broadhill in July. It has been a popular place to go for a walk with new viewpoints looking north and south and is now a destination in its own right.
“As work continues at the beach and city centre, I am looking forward to more of the works finishing and people of all ages being able to make use of the great new facilities.”
For the phase A beach park and events park, works to both sites should reach practical completion in late summer 2026.
The Beach Park will provide a significantly sized outdoor destination within the unique beachfront context. The core play park will create a focus for activity and will act as a key gateway into the wider park and the beach. Drainage works are well progressed alongside utility works, superstructure works are complete, building fabric and fit out works are ongoing and will continue across the next period at the gateway and hub buildings. Hard landscaping is also ongoing.
The Events Park is intended as a flexible space capable of holding events including festivals, larger concerts, and gatherings. Surfacing work has started, canopy roof and gutters are complete, the amphitheatre building superstructure is complete, and hard landscaping is ongoing.
The five-hectare Broadhill has been transformed with new access steps, footpaths, viewpoints, drystone walls, timber and concrete seating and landscaping. The work was completed and opened in time for the public to enjoy the site as a vantage point for the Tall Ships Race in July.
For the streetscaping on Union Street Central, from Union Terrace to Market Street, will see the space within the existing streetscape reapportioned in favour of walking, wheeling, and riding users, and public transport whilst still allowing for service vehicle access.
Since work started, additional works associated with the removal of undocumented redundant utilities and accommodation of buried structures, in addition to productivity issues have resulted in programme delays. Given current measures taken to mitigate issues and delay, programme estimates indicate completion in Spring 2026. There are a number of risks still present within the planned works, which if realised, are likely to extend the works into summer 2026.
For the public realm works at the Castlegate, these are aimed at re-establishing the area as a central civic location, providing a high-quality space creating a destination and encouraging sustainable economic activity providing an important gateway to the beach.
Tied to the Council’s Silver City Heritage and Place Programme, it is expected that proposals for the Castlegate will also help stimulate interest from surrounding building owners to invest more in the area.
The project comprises public realm and streetscaping improvements including street furniture, public art, improved lighting and enhanced street greening. An active travel route is included through the Castlegate towards the Beachfront, combined with consideration given to vehicular access for servicing businesses. The public realm will include clear unobstructed and segregated footways to enable safe access to residences and businesses surrounding the space.
Due to the significant impact of utility works in the area on programme, commercials and risk, progressing to financial close with the main contractor have paused pending the final procurement of the quotes. Utility works are critical to the project’s major milestones and required to de-risk the project and ensure a smooth transition to the main construction works.
As the utility companies cannot be controlled directly by the Council, the project is bound by the utilities companies’ commitments and performance. Current estimates is for construction to start in the first quarter of 2026. The construction programme is anticipated to last until Summer 2027, although this is currently being reviewed to determine whether it can be condensed. Construction phasing takes into account, where possible, on street trading from surrounding businesses, accommodating outdoor seating for those that require it during the summer months to reduce risks to those businesses.
The report to committee said external pressures outwith the Council’s control can affect any of these building works and there is a significant risk that costs will increase for those projects under construction and also those in the future. These pressures include inflation, energy supply and cost, other historical factors such as Covid 19 impacts, war in Ukraine, Brexit, and a new risk of global trade wars.
