Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

New green space at ARI to encourage patients and visitors to walk and cycle

Post Thumbnail

Plans to create an outdoor green area at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary have been submitted to the council in an effort to encourage people to walk to the hospital.

The proposals include a pond, sculptures, woodland, wildflowers, a natural play area, and enhanced pedestrian access.

It will also allow people to walk along the Gilcomston Burn, much of which is currently obscured, by installing lighting along its length.

Should planning permission be granted, the innovative  project will be carried out by Glasgow-based landscape firm Erz.

The estimated total cost of the work is £1.5 million, with funding coming from NHS Grampian and a European grant administered by Scottish Natural Heritage.

In a report submitted to Aberdeen City Council on Monday, Erz said the site – on the western side of the main ARI building between Westburn Road and Ashburn Road West – is currently designed for car users, with little infrastructure or clear routes for pedestrians.

The proposed development would change that by creating a new pedestrian and cyclist connection into the south-west part of the Foresterhill campus, with a new opening linking Westburn Road and Foresterhill Road.

With the new entrance near an existing bus stop and a pedestrian crossing on Westburn Road, it is hoped this will encourage people to walk or cycle, or use public transport to access the site.

As part of the plans, a number of water features will be integrated into the landscape design.

The developer undertook studies at the site in late-2015 and early-2016, involving a series of meetings and workshops with representatives of NHS Grampian and Aberdeen University.

The proposals were then refined in response to further specific feedback later in 2016.

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian said: “We are committed to preserving and enhancing green spaces on our sites.

“The benefits that pleasant outdoor space can bring to our patients, staff and visitors are well known.

“If approved, this plan will transform currently inaccessible land on the Foresterhill Health Campus.”