Today, Wednesday, February 20 the realisation of Greyhope Bay’s ‘Dolphins at the Battery’ moved a major step forward with the news that planning permission has been approved by Aberdeen City Council (subject to Scheduled Monument Consent) for a temporary viewing platform and coffee point at Torry Battery that could now be open in June this year.
Greyhope Bay’s ‘Dolphins at the Battery’ will give the historic Torry Battery a new lease of life with our unique visitor space, exhibit, café and toilets allowing visitors to connect with our natural and historic environment and explore an extraordinary local monument.
Torry Battery is a historic monument that sits on an elevated position at the entrance to Aberdeen Harbour and offers a unique viewpoint of the city, harbour and beach and is the perfect vantage point to view our local dolphins - the largest bottlenose dolphins found anywhere in the world.
Fiona McIntyre, managing director of Greyhope Bay, described the news as “a big and an emotional moment for the project, a major achievement for the team and distinct step forward.
I’m delighted that both Aberdeen City Council and Historic Environment Scotland are keen to see this historic monument brought back to life. The facility will serve as a major new attraction for the city, a hub for the community and is certain to pull visitors from far afield rivalling the tens of thousands of visitors that visit Chanonry point on the Black Isle for dolphin spotting.“
With the help and support of the local business community, we can be open at Torry Battery this summer. In a “DIY SOS” or “Challenge Anneka” style we would love to see local businesses get involved, this can be by donation of any of the materials or manpower that we need and with the collective effort of the city of Aberdeen we can make it happen.”
From light bulbs, windows and doors, to the external timber and even a kitchen sink, Greyhope Bay is asking individuals and businesses to help source physical contributions and be a part of this exciting project.
With a plan to deliver maximum impact at the lowest possible cost we propose to repurpose and site two shipping containers within Torry Battery and build a wider visitor experience with a unique window to the sea, outdoor decking, seating and art installations. Using a pre-existing structure presents an opportunity to deliver a fully recyclable and sustainable unit in the immediate.
For a complete list of items that can be contributed please visit the website at greyhopebay.org.uk or contact Fiona McIntyre.
‘Dolphins at the Battery’ will serve as a first phase of Greyhope Bay’s long-term vision to deliver a world-class marine experience centre and visitor attraction that will connect Aberdeen and the North East with our marine world.
The temporary facility has been designed and developed by Project Architect Professor Gokay Deveci, based at Scott Sutherland School of Architecture, and Bryan Gray at DYNAMIX Modular who have partnered with Greyhope Bay to convert and fit out the shipping containers.
For further information contact Fiona McIntyre – Fiona.mcintyre@greyhopebay.org.uk
07531826302