A number of upgrades have been proposed for Hazlehead Cemetery after various issues were raised with Aberdeen City Council regarding disabled access.
During the past few months, the authority has received a variety of complaints which they are currently attempting to address.
People with mobility issues have found it difficult to visit graves in the middle of the cemetery because the graveyard is sloped.
And, given the car park is at the bottom of the slope and an informal parking area stands at the top of the hill, it means one half of the walk is difficult for people with limited mobility.
In a bid to tackle this problem, some people have been given access keys and are able to take their cars up the single track roadway to help them reach graves in the middle of the cemetery.
But this has created a new problem because the one-way road through the graveyard is single track, which presents other problems for pedestrians.
To ease this congestion, the council intends to build two disabled parking bays at two points along the roadway which should allow the public to park close to graves they are visiting without disrupting the flow of traffic.
The council is also looking to formalise the informal parking area at the top of the cemetery and increase the number of dropped kerbs by four within the graveyard.
Other changes include two disabled parking bays being created in the main cemetery car park and the lightening or redesigning of the access gate to make entry to the graveyard easier.
There had been calls to transform an area in the middle of the cemetery – which has not yet been used for burials – into an additional car park, but the council said: “We do not believe this is the best use of the council’s budget.”
Hazlehead, Ashley and Queens Cross Councillor Martin Greig said: “These are some helpful improvements, but whether they are enough to tackle the problems will remain to be seen.
“It will be important to monitor the working use of the driveway and any further upgrades and changes should be noted and followed through.
“Access to the cemetery should be available to anyone and the problems that have been highlighted need to be addressed.”
