Aberdeen’s historic Torry Battery will be handed over to dolphin-spotting locals for 20 years – for just a quid each year – under new plans.
The coastal site dates back to 1860, and it was used to defend the city in both the First and Second World Wars before being decommissioned in 1956.
Now councillors are being urged to sign over the public property to Greyhope Bay Ltd, the charity behind a popular cafe there and ambitious plans to turn it into an attraction for dolphin-spotting.
They want a 20-year lease on Torry Battery in order to carry out a range of expensive repairs to the landmark.
And council legal chiefs say the site should be handed over at a cost of just £1 a year.
What is happening with Torry Battery?
Back in 2020, Aberdeen City Council agreed permission for Greyhope Bay Ltd to install a shipping container at the spot – which was turned into a cafe.
This was the first step in their ambitions to create a centre for observing the area’s famous dolphins.
The team now wants to expand its vision, with another unit to be used for education and workshop space, an outdoor ampitheatre and the old Guard House becoming an exhibition room.
Old store rooms would become outdoor market space for one-off events, and repairs costing about £1 million are planned for the historic walls.
But the various grants needed for this can not be secured unless the council leases Torry Battery over to the nature enthusiasts.
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Torry Battery handover ‘will ensure viable future for the site’
Officials urge councillors to seal the proposals at a meeting next week.
They say: “This proposal will also ensure that the scheduled monument is maintained and enhanced to enable a viable future for the site, without detracting from its status.”
And a report says the idea of the £1 peppercorn rent is “not unreasonable”, given the “estimated cost of the works to repair, develop and maintain the Torry Battery”.
They say Greyhope Bay Ltd are committed to “ensuring there is no further deterioration to the Torry Battery during the period of the lease”.
Documents submitted by the charity explain the need for the Torry Battery handover.
They say the current centre there is “too small for the high demand, and competing interests of the café, community workshops and events within the same small space”.
The team says it would be better to “incorporate the entire monument”.
Read more about the charity’s plans for Torry Battery:
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