Fears have been raised that a “crumbling” path could cost a struggling north-east town its much-needed tourists.
A landslip in the Broadsea area of Fraserburgh has closed off a path and road that leads to the town’s popular Museum of Scottish Lighthouses and heritage centre.
The ground collapsed late last week due to the heavy rain and wind.
The route, off Stevenson Road, has now been shut off – connects the attractions in the most north-easterly corner of Fraserburgh to residential properties in Broadsea – a former fishing community – leaving tourists and leisurely walkers no alternative but to trek through an industrial site.
And last night Lynda McGuigan, manager of the lighthouse museum, said she had safety concerns over the future of the “crumbling” walkway.
“We’re looking to increase tourism in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, and this coastal walkway is something that we need,” she said.
“The only alternative route to the museum is through an industrial site, which isn’t particularly nice for people – plenty of people want to use this route.
“It closing will have an affect on us and on local people, people like to walk along there. It really does need to be fixed. The path is actually crumbling at some places, so there is a safety concern because people have to use it if they want to see some of our most historic buildings.”
Ms McGuigan, who also the chairwoman of the town’s tourism group, added that local walking groups would also be disrupted by the path’s closure.
She said: “We get a couple of walking groups that leave from the museum, and it closing is just going to destroy things like that.”
In 2012, a landslip closed a section of the coastal walkway to the rear of the museum which blocked access to it and the heritage centre through the harbour.
It has been closed to members of the public ever since.
Ronnie McNab, the chairman of the town’s community council and a volunteer at the heritage centre, has urged the local authority to fix the new slip as quickly as possible.
“The sooner the better,” he said.
“Obviously, the weather isn’t playing ball right now, but it needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.
“The heritage centre is closed just now, but we’ll be having a meeting in the next two weeks when we’ll probably discuss it more because that path is popular to locals.”
Local councillor Brian Topping has also stressed the danger the pathway poses in its current state.
Mr Topping, the chairman of the Fraserburgh Community Safety Group, added Aberdeenshire Council had closed the pathway shortly after it collapsed.
“There’s now talk of rebuilding the path further back, but there has been issues with land ownership at the site,” he said.
“At the end of the day, it’s all up in the air. If its owner doesn’t want to sell, I don’t know if the council will look at a compulsory purchase. I know money is tight, but it’s just so vitally important some remedial work is done.”
Rock armouring was added along the pathway in 2009, but stops just short of where the slip happened.
One solution in the short-term to bring the coastal pathway back into use could be to rebuild the route back from the edge of the cliff.
Mr Topping added: “The slip is very concerning – it needs urgent action to protect us long-term.
“There’s a lot of new houses being built down there and that path is important for tourism and locals. As it is, it is a massive safety issue.
“If we leave it, it will just get worse.”
In recent years, 58 homes were build within view of the slipped pathway – a common route for dog owners to walk their pets.
Construction on 30 more homes near the area is already underway.
Mr Topping added that the slip at the rear of the museum was still being investigated by the authority and that the path there could also be rebuilt back from the edge of the cliffs.
Despite repeated requests yesterday, Aberdeenshire Council failed to comment.