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Duthie Park wins Common Good funding

Aberdeen city councillors have unanimously agreed to provide Common Good Fund money for the project to restore historic Duthie Park.

Finance and Resources Committee members approved Common Good match funding for the £5.23million project, which will be added to funding from the Heritage Lottery’s Parks for People fund to finance the renovation scheme.

Aberdeen City Council will borrow on behalf of the Common Good Fund from the Public Works Loan Board to finance the capital contribution.

Committee convener Councillor Kevin Stewart said: “Duthie Park is much loved by local people and world-renowned for the quality of its landscape and gardens. It is a very fitting recipient of a Common Good Fund contribution and I am delighted that the committee supported the proposal unanimously. With the full funding package now in place, we can get on with the exciting job of restoring an already beautiful park to its former glory.”

The scheme to breathe new life into the popular park involves:

• renovating the historic rose mound;

• re-instating the three linked ponds;

• restoring the Duthie fountain to full working order in its original setting;

• re-creating the lost Victorian promenade.

A range of detailed schemes have already won planning approval from Aberdeen City Council:

• reinstatement of the former circular pond and paths; recreation of the historic terracing south of the obelisk; restoration of the road inside the southern boundary to its original width;

• restoration of the pavilion and the addition of a disabled ramp; conversion of the tennis courts to community gardens; creation of a new arbour, games lawn and community events green;

• restoration of the linked lakes; creation of a natural bog area in middle pond; restoration of the stone shelter, with reinstatement of the original castellated roof; reformation of paths and steps near the lower pond;

• restoration of boundary features, railings, missing granite pillars and gates at the main park entrances; alterations to the car park to change the layout and increase capacity to approx 75 spaces;

• restoration of the rose mound area to its original profile and layout; formation of a spiral footpath and summit flagpole; restoration of the original footpaths; removal of non-original paths; creation of a biodiversity path in the woodland area at the north-west corner of the park.

The City Council appointed Edinburgh-based Scott Wilson Ltd as lead consultants to draw up the detailed designs.

The 44-acre park is one of the most popular in Scotland, with over half a million visitors a year. It was bequeathed to the city by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie in remembrance of her brother and uncle and was opened in 1883 by Princess Beatrix.

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