Beachfront

The City Centre and Beachfront Masterplan offers a unique opportunity to create a transformational new waterfront destination for the city of Aberdeen. The proposals include key new facilities around Aberdeen’s beachfront, including exciting new play and events facilities, improvements to the Beach Ballroom and replacing the leisure centre.

The beachfront has a unique relationship with the city centre by virtue of its proximity. By focusing on enhancing footpaths, cycleways, and desire routes, particularly along the boulevard, the Masterplan can help create an environment which is designed for people rather than vehicles, supporting greater levels of activity and engagement within the area.

The benefits of the beachfront improvements will include:

Encourage revitalisation of the beach area including plans for a pier, new green hub, and state-of-the-art leisure facilities
Support to the local economy by increasing the footfall and utilisation of the beachfront and its associated leisure, sports and retail outlets. Linked to economic diversification, Aberdeen has the potential to increase its leisure offer, attract local, national and international visitors and boost the local economy.
Support individuals into employment through the creation of new jobs throughout the construction and into the running of the new facilities as well as providing new business opportunities linked to leisure, sports and tourism
Improve the health and wellbeing of Aberdeen’s citizens, people from the region and tourists by providing fit-for-purpose, easily accessible and sustainable sports, leisure and recreational facilities
Move from car-based access to active and green travel whilst improving sustainable links between the city and the beachfront, boosting health and wellbeing whilst reducing pollution from vehicles. This forms part of Aberdeen’s route map to become a Net Zero City.
Encourage improved public wellbeing through enhancement of the public realm and the creation of new spaces for major recreational, social and cultural events
The ability to reinstate Aberdeen as the ‘Silver City by the Sea’ promoting and re-establishing ‘the finest beach and the most beautiful holiday resort in Britain’

Beach Boulevard

The Beach Boulevard runs from Links Road to the roundabout on the A956/Commerce Street. Options are currently being considered to reconfigure this route and to promote active travel between the beach and the city centre. Initial visioning work has been undertaken as part of the Beachfront Development Framework, which will connect the emerging Beach Boulevard with the Castlegate and Union Street East streetscape designs.

The reallocation of space along Beach Boulevard will improve both the ease and quality of the journey between the city centre and the beach area, making it more attractive to pedestrians and cyclists. It will also provide environmental improvements through increased planting and improved air quality. This will positively impact the area, including surrounding buildings such as Hanover Street Primary School and the NHS Health Village on Frederick Street.

The improvements to the beachfront will be carried out in three phases:

Phase A : includes events field, amphitheatre, Gateway Building, Broadhill, sports arena, pump track and play parks. Advanced construction works commenced in Spring 2024.

Phase B : includes pedestrian spine, temporary landscaping and Beach Boulevard. Outline Business Case to be considered by ACC elected members.

Phase C : includes consideration of the Esplanade, boardwalk/pier, beachfront interface, satellite facilities (toilets, changing, showers with observation decks above), Beach Village, Pavilion, slipway and a new Footdee Club House (for swimmers, surfers and live-saving clubs).