A £2.5m grant has been awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore Duthie Park to its former splendour.

HLF's Parks For People fund initially awarded the project £71,500 for Stage 1 development last year, matched by £74,700 from the City Council – and has now agreed to award full lottery funding of £2.56m, matched with £2.67m from Aberdeen City Council, for the overall £5.38m redevelopment.

The aim of the project is to revitalise the historic 44-acre park, encourage even more people to visit, and make it an attractive setting for new activities and events. The future care of the park will be detailed in a new 10-year management and maintenance plan.

Restoration of the 44-acre Victorian park will involve:

* renovation of the historic rose mound to its original height;

* re-instatement of the three linked ponds to create a boating lake and a bio-diverse wildlife pond which school pupils can use as an educational facility;

* restoration of the Duthie fountain to full working order in its original setting;

* re-introduction of the lost Victorian promenade.

The City Council's Development Management Sub-committee approved five detailed schemes last month:

* 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.

Aberdeen City Council leader Councillor John Stewart is delighted with the award. He said: "This is excellent news and a tremendous boost for the city.

"It is great that with the help of the Heritage Lottery Fund we now have the opportunity to restore Duthie Park to its former Victorian glory. I look forward to witnessing the transformation of the park as the project progresses."

Housing and Environment Committee convener Councillor Aileen Malone said: "Duthie Park is world-famous and I am sure generations of Aberdonians have many fond childhood memories of the place.

"So many of the original features of the park will be restored which I am sure will attract even more visitors each year. I was so pleased to hear this news - it feels like Christmas has come early."

Colin McLean, head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, added: "This is good news not just for the individuals that have worked hard to develop this project but for the hundreds of thousands of people that use and treasure Duthie Park.

"Our parks are a wonderful legacy from our ancestors which are enjoyed by all ages and are often a community's only available green space for recreation and leisure. That's why HLF is committed to protecting these precious places.

"Through our Parks for People programme, parks across Scotland are being turned around, encouraging more people through the gates, forging new links with communities, reducing crime and often kick-starting further local regeneration."

Duthie Park is one of the most popular parks in Scotland, with over half a million visitors every 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.

Its historical significance as one of the finest examples of a late Victorian public park has led to its inclusion in Historic Scotland's Inventory of Designed Landscapes and Gardens. The restoration and reconstruction of some of the lost features will be inspired by old written and photographic sources.

(GK)