Green light for road improvements at New Aberdour beach

Money from the Coastal Communities Fund will be used to widen the road down to the beach.

Aberdeenshire Council’s managing visitor group was awarded £2,700 from the Banff and Buchan coastal communities fund.

The cash will be used to widen the road down to New Aberdour beach.

The group was set up during the initial Covid lockdown in 2020 to try and manage increasing visitors to the north-east’s tourist hotspots.

Group chairman Malcolm White said: “At New Aberdour, the way down to the beach was identified as a busy hotspot site. After discussion with colleagues in roads, this was seen as a solution that would help mitigate the issues there.

“It allows an informal passing place and it means that when people go down to the beach they don’t have to back up the whole way if anyone is parked at the church.”

It is also hoped that the work would help the beach become a “more attractive and accessible location” on the coast.

The work will be carried out across from St Drostan’s Church and graveyard.

The move will also create extra parking in the area for visitors. At the moment people visiting the cemetery can block access to the beach as they park on the road.

It is hoped that widening the road by 1.5 metres will enable vehicles of all sizes to get to the popular tourist attraction.

In recent years visitors have visited the beach in camper vans and have struggled to get past parked cars.

New Aberdour has seen a boom in tourists thanks to its location on the North East 250 route.

The funding application was recently considered by the Banff and Buchan area committee.

Chairwoman councillor Doreen Mair said: “Having had to reverse back up that slope quite a few times myself I think this is an excellent spend of the fund.”

Council leader councillor Mark Findlater added: “New Aberdour beach is becoming more and more popular and a lot of camper vans go down there. The community council have got the toilets down there that they manage and are well used. I think it will become even more popular and I know that the car parking bays are getting worked on to enhance the whole area.”