Following a landslip in Peterhead, Aberdeenshire Council is working to ensure there is no danger to the public.

The land started to slip near the town’s Lido over the festive period, but there has been further movement since then and engineers fear there may be more.

Council engineers called in a specialist geotechnical engineer, whose advice led to the evacuation of a building occupied by offshore training organisation, Falck Nutec.

This took place on Thursday (January 12) in the interests of public safety, as the firm’s premises lie at the base of the affected slope.

Many cracks and signs of movement are visible on the slope and engineers believe there is a high probability of further movement, which would be increased by further wet or frosty weather.


A short section of Mackenzie Crescent, a public road at the top of the slope, has been closed as it is also considered vulnerable should further slips occur, but the access road to the marina remains in use.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Director of Infrastructure Services, Stephen Archer, said: "The section of slope in question is some twenty metres high and rises from the edge of the access road leading to Peterhead Marina and Mackenzie Crescent above. We understand this is privately owned but this is being checked.

"If private ownership of the slope is confirmed the council will have no legal responsibility for remediation of the slope, though we will want to ensure the integrity of the public road above.

"Discussions are taking place with colleagues in our Legal Service to determine the best course of action.

"As a council our main concern at the moment is ensuring the safety of residents and the general public, as well as ensuring the integrity of the road."

Council officers will carry out regular inspections to ensure it remains safe to leave the access road to the Marina open for use.

Though Mackenzie Crescent has not yet been affected, a slip has taken place alongside and it is now vulnerable to the effects of further landslips.

(GK)