Costs revealed as Aberdeen’s big-spending beach bonanza begins

The huge cost of major changes at Aberdeen Beach has been unveiled as work begins on the first phase of an ambitious masterplan.

New building documents reveal the price of such projects as carving an amphitheatre out next to the Beach Ballroom and erecting an eye-catching “gateway” building.

The initial stages of the seafront redesign will focus on the area around Beach Boulevard.

Here we list, in ascending order, how much public cash is being ploughed into each part of this first stage…

Demolition of public toilets the cheapest of Aberdeen Beach masterplan costs

The work starting this week has been two years in the making, and marks a milestone in the city’s beach masterplan project.

Ultimately, the scheme could see a new stadium built and a boardwalk stretching out into the sea.

But the first phase is centred on the grassy expanses just off the Beach Boulevard.

And the most modest part of the plan is demolishing the mothballed lavatories at the old playground just off Links Road.

They will be cleared as the playground area makes way for an amphitheatre and events field.

The documents say knocking down the toilet block will cost £14,000.

Meanwhile, drainage works across the greenspace on either side of Beach Boulevard will cost £695,000.

How much will new ‘gateway building’ cost?

A new “gateway” building will be created nearby, towards the top end of the Beach Boulevard.

This “sculptural landmark” will “enhance the sense of arrival” for people heading down to the sands, with the design intended to catch the eye from afar.

It will contain information on the new additions to the shoreline, and any events taking place that day, on a digital interactive screen.

There would also be wi-fi and accessible toilets.

The papers indicate this gateway structure will cost £737,000. 

New canopies to cost almost £1m

Two new canopies will be built to offer sheltered spots for beachgoers to have a rest.

Papers state: “These flexible structures offer opportunities for social meeting points, picnic areas, recycling points, individual seating, and quiet areas.”

These will cost an estimated £976,000.

Police questioned the design, worrying that it could be easy for youngsters to clamber onto the roof to cause trouble. 

However, planners have adopted the wavy pattern as this is more wind-resistant.

How much will ‘focal point hub building’ cost?

Now we move up into the million-pound territory, with a new “hub” building hosting a coastal cafe. 

This would be built to the foot of the Beach Boulevard, with seating inside and outside.

There would also be space for exhibitions outside, along with changing facilities and accessible toilets.

The hub building, described as a “focal point at the heart of the beach”, will cost £1.43m to build.

And what about the amphitheatre?

As you might expect, work to create an amphitheatre on the land outside the Beach Ballroom is the priciest part of the phase one proposals.

It would come with an “events park” alongside it, which could host large-scale events.

The amphitheatre would be for “smaller, more intimate” occasions like concerts, cinema screenings and theatre performances.

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Planners say the amphitheatre would take advantage of the existing landscape, which offers shelter from the sea breeze.

They say this 300-400 seater space could tie in with larger events at the Beach Ballroom, or at the “potential stadium”.

There would be an “arrival building” too, with areas for people to relax in.

This would all come in at a whopping £2.19 million.

What next?

The next stage of the plan is to create a space-age new playpark at the Queens Links park, on the opposite side of the road.

Costs for this will be revealed in due course.

But how can the council afford Aberdeen Beach masterplan costs?

The costs breakdown comes weeks as work gets under way at the seafront, with the old playground fenced off ahead of demolition.

At a meeting in February that councillors voted to surge ahead with further parts of the project.

This will include a new boardwalk stretching out into the sea.

But it came despite pleas to postpone the project as an emerging Raac crisis threatens the council coffers. 

However, council leaders stressed that they were “legally committed” to the scheme, with significant sums already ploughed into it.

The authority has set aside £48 million for a package of improvements across the beach and city centre in the years ahead.

Diversions around the eastern end of the Beach Boulevard are expected to be enforced in the coming weeks.