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Exclusive: Work on £50m Aberdeen beach playpark begins next week – as council confirms timeline of ‘biggest upgrade in decades’

A section of Beach Boulevard will be closed for months to come as the construction of the multi-million-pound playground and events park gets under way.

Aberdeen beach revamp works outside the Beach Ballroom.
City leaders have lifted the lid on plans to make Aberdeen beach a world-class destination. Image: Kirstie Topp/DC Thomson.

Work to create a futuristic playpark with a seven-storey-tall “rope factory”, an events field and an amphitheatre at Aberdeen beach will begin next week.

And the Beach Leisure Centre will soon be stripped of its assets as plans to reduce the structure to rubble press forward.

It’s part of the local authority’s multi-million-pound scheme to make the city’s waterfront a world-class destination for residents and visitors.

Council leaders say this will be the “biggest beach redevelopment in 35 years”.

Digital illustration of proposed beachfront playpark as part of Aberdeen beach revamp.
An artist’s impression of the new Aberdeen beachfront playpark. Image: Aberdeen City Council

And after several months of preliminary works, construction teams are now poised to start digging in three key sites as the £50 million project gets under way.

It could eventually include a new boardwalk stretching out into the sea, a spruced up Beach Ballroom and even a potential new football stadium.

But this second phase of the revamp looks likely to be pushed down the line until more cash becomes available.

Aberdeen beach revamp design image.
Canopy structures will offer sheltered seating for visitors. Image: Aberdeen City Council.

What does the Aberdeen beach revamp involve?

The first stage includes turning the large open space next to Codona’s into a playground with a gateway building and a canopy shelter, as well as an events field.

It will act as a “key entry point” to the waterfront, with a large play structure built as a central feature of the reimagined area.

Digitally rendered map of a reimagined waterfront in Aberdeen.
A map of a reimagined waterfront in Aberdeen. Image: Aberdeen City Council.

The play area will be divided into four zones – sport, adventure, woodland and coastal – all of which will boast different activities for the little ones.

Broadhill will also be upgraded with viewing platforms and extra seating, while new cycle lanes and paths will be created.

Both of these areas will be fenced off from next week.

Digital rendering shows proposed planting and seating at the Broadhill site.
The five-hectare Broadhill site will be enhanced with additional planting and seating. Image: Aberdeen City Council.

Which Aberdeen roads will be closed during the beach revamp?

Links Road, and the stretch between the Beach Boulevard and Queens Link Retail Park have been closed since the beginning of summer.

This was to allow a major rejig of underground gas pipes, broadband services and water and electricity lines.

Council chiefs say these have now been completed.

Road closure in Aberdeen.
Image: Kirstie Topp/DC Thomson.

However, certain road closures will remain in place for months to come as teams carry on with the construction of the beach and events parks.

The Beach Boulevard will be temporarily closed between Links Road and the Esplanade from the beginning of October, with diversions clearly signposted.

When will people start to see change?

There is no indication when the traffic restrictions at the beach will be lifted.

A reimagined Broadhill should be open to residents by next summer, while the beach and events parks will open the following year.

Another road closure.
Image: Kirstie Topp/DC Thomson.

Demolition works at the Beach Leisure Centre will be carried out simultaneously, with the building expected to be gone by the summer of 2025.

City chiefs have reassured that these works will not impact the Beach Ballroom and the Links Ice Arena, which will remain open as usual.

‘Creating a vibrant city for generations to come’

Council co-leader Ian Yuill said the redevelopment of the beach is the next step in their grand plan to make Aberdeen a “better place”.

Aberdeen City Council co-leaders Ian Yuill and Christian Allard.
Aberdeen City Council co-leaders Ian Yuill and Christian Allard. Image: Darrell Benns/DC Thomson.

He added: “The council is committed to making the beach and the Links the envy of other cities, and a place where people will want to return to again and again.”

His SNP counterpart Christian Allard said: “This [investment] is alongside the redevelopment of Union Street and the new market building – all of which have key roles in ensuring we have a vibrant city which will be enjoyed for generations.”


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