The spine, on a section of the Boulevard from Links Road to the Esplanade, was agreed at the council’s Finance and Resources Committee and will be the last part of the current works upgrading and refurbishing the beach area as part of the City Centre and Beach Masterplan.

The beachworks include five new buildings and shelters currently being constructed for the play and events sites along with a new skate landscape. The foundations have been laid for a large bespoke play structure called the Rope Factory which is set to become an iconic attraction.

Committee convener Councillor Alex McLellan said: “The pedestrian spine will be the gateway from the city centre for people going to all the new attractions in the beach area.

“Having better connectivity between both areas will mean businesses at each end will benefit by bringing a greater footfall which helps to the overall aim of making the city an attractive place to live, work, and visit.

“Importantly, during the work, vehicles will still be able to have full access to all areas as they always have. We worked closely and listened to community and business needs as well as statutory consultees on the reverting of the promenade back to two-way traffic. So traffic will be as previously apart from the short area on the spine.”

At the beach, the play area will have four zones – sport, adventure, woodland, and coastal – all with different free activities. The 2.5-hectare events field will have an amphitheatre and will be able to host festivals, larger concerts and gatherings. The play park and events field are due for completion in Autumn 2026.

The pedestrian spine will have:

• designated pedestrian routes to interface with key access points of the Beach Park and Events Field including from the accessible parking locations;
• a designated, segregated, cycle path;
• soft landscaping designed to complement the adjacent park areas;
• seating locations strategically placed along the route;
• bicycle parking at key locations;
• gate at the Esplanade approach for controlled access for emergency vehicles, delivery vehicles, and for maintenance;
• the materials used will be impermeable buff coloured asphalt on the pedestrian routes and hot rolled asphalt with red granite chips on the cycle route;
• increased accessibility, safe use, and integration of the spaces.

The first part of the £50m phase one of the beach development to be completed last month was the refurbished Broad Hill, which has been transformed with new access steps, footpaths, viewpoints, drystone walls, timber and concrete seating and landscaping. The work was completed in time for the public to enjoy the site as a vantage point for the Tall Ships Races.

The beach improvements are part of a £150m commitment by Aberdeen City Council towards the City Centre and Beach Master Plan. Works are well under way on a new streetscape for the Union Street Central area while construction on the new market building is progressing as planned. Work is also due to begin on new streetscape improvements to the Castlegate. These areas will create vibrant and accessible areas to help make the city a destination of choice for the benefit of residents, visitors, and businesses.