Dozens of youngsters were ‘shell-abrating’ when they helped to launch a competition for primary school classes in Aberdeen to name the new beach playpark area.
The playpark was given planning permission in December along with other amenities as part of a beach park and events park with supporting blue badge parking, as part of the City Centre and Beach Masterplan which is designed to reinvigorate the areas culturally and economically, attracting people to spend time in them.
Primary children from around the city took part in stakeholder engagement sessions last year helping to shape the new attractions and they joined together today at the site at Queen’s Links beside the Beach Boulevard for the launch.
Co-Leader Councillor Christian Allard said: “It is great to see the enthusiasm today from our primary school youngsters for the new facilities at the beach and we are grateful for their input at the design stage.
“We look forward to hearing all the suggestions and officially naming the park when it is complete.”
The competition is to run from 1 February to 29 March and primary schools in the city will be directly contacted about entering. £500 worth of Collins Big Cat book vouchers donated by Hub North will be given to the class which comes up with the winning name.
This first phase of works would upgrade the green spaces which already attract visitors to the area while providing a higher quality environment and broadening the range of activities which can be enjoyed at the beach.
- The beach park area, at the south end of the site, will focus on a variety of landscaped play and sports areas with built structures including a gateway building, a hub building, two canopies, and a play structure called The Rope Factory.
- The car park and junction would be from Links Road and would provide dedicated blue badge parking spaces to the beach park area.
- The events park, at the Beach Ballroom end of the site, would have several structures including a canopy and an amphitheatre building.
There will also be additional public realm and landscaping at the site which would be covered under Permitted Development.
The City Centre and Beach Masterplan is designed to capitalise on the built and natural assets of the area which is a tourism priority in its own right and will continue to be in demand as people seek safe, outdoor, wildlife, and active experiences. The beach area is also an intrinsic component of the Aberdeen Coastal Trail, and the wide variety of tourism offer that includes nature, golf, maritime history, and dolphin watching.
Details will be made public when work on the beach park, events park, and supporting blue badge parking, will begin.