Bus lane fines to help cover costs of creating new Aberdeen nature haven around Denburn

Cash controversially gained from bus lane fines will go towards £2.1 million efforts to improve the unsightly Denburn in Aberdeen.

Earlier this year, Aberdeen City Council unveiled plans to transform the largely hidden watercourse.

The 2.3km burn flows from the Den of Maidencraig nature reserve to the King’s Gate area near Rubislaw Quarry.

As part of the project, the Denburn will be re-meandered to remove straight sections, giving it a more natural course.

Click and drag the sliders throughout this article to see before-and-after visions of the future of the Denburn

Work will also be carried out to improve biodiversity in the area and new paths will be formed – giving visitors the chance to enjoy a walk around the burn.

An update on the project was given to the city council’s net zero, environment and transport committee today.

And it emerged that some of the money the council has made from bus lane fines will be put towards the eco scheme.

How much will the Denburn project cost?

The “complex” project is made up of the path and burn restoration.

It is currently estimated to cost around £2.1 million to complete, but this could rise depending on the design and materials needed.

Sepa has now agreed to fund half of the costs needed for the burn works.

It has promised to pay £975,000 for the burn’s design and construction, as long as match funding can be secured by the council.

The local authority’s nature gurus have been working closely with Sepa to help design the exciting project.

Meanwhile, half of the cash needed for the path design and construction is expected to come from bus lane fines.

These have become a divisive issue in recent years, with many blasting the “unfair” penalties they have received for unwittingly breaking traffic rules around Union Street.

Transport partnership Nestrans has also agreed to give the other half of the money for the path.

While all of the money outlined for the path construction has been secured, half of the funds required for the works to the burn are still needed.

It is hoped the additional cash could come from private investment or other funding opportunities such as the Just Transition Fund.

‘We will have to cut our cloth to suit the funding that we get’

Councillor Sandra Macdonald welcomed the report but raised concerns about the additional funding.

Chief officer David Dunne assured her that work was ongoing to identify what the project could look like first, to get a better idea of what it would cost.

He said: “The initial scheme that was proposed had timber walkways and a series of longer-term high maintenance interventions.

“We are trying to limit those in the first instance and identify where we might find additional revenue streams.”

However he revealed that there was no timeline in place for getting the cash.

Mr Dunne added: “If we can get a higher capital allowance to do the work, we can put in the Rolls Royce of infrastructure.

“But until we get to that point, it’s a little bit difficult to see whether it’s going to be a dust or gravel path, or something more advanced.”

Mr Dunne went on to say that the project could be reduced or even scrapped if the cash can’t be found.

Students could help monitor nature around Denburn

Meanwhile, council officers revealed that they are looking at working with the James Hutton Institute to monitor the disruption to habitats around the burn.

It is hoped that some students could head out to the site carry out inspections before, during and after construction.

Further updates on the Denburn project will be given to the committee later this year.

Last month it emerged that cash from bus lane rulebreakers could also go towards LEZ cameras in Aberdeen:

£360,000 from bus lane fines could fund Aberdeen LEZ cameras