City seafront a wasted opportunity

SIR, – If Aberdeen is looking for a replacement for the depleted oil and gas sector it could do well to look at the pathetic lack of amenities and attractions at Aberdeen Seafront.

Thousands used to arrive there on buses or trams but no change has ever been made to adapt to a car-owning public. As a result, what little facilities there are either swamped on a good weather day or inappropriate in the predominant bad weather days.

The Torry Battery is a totally wasted facility. It provides the best view of the city and should house a visitor centre to celebrate this. This should be either a standalone or an addition to the intended Greyhope Bay facility.

The site should also be the setting for Aberdeen’s equivalent of the Angel of the North. Lit up at night it could be viewed from the entire seafront, as could fireworks and laser displays.

The beach baths and pavilion were Victorian attractions which were scandalously obliterated and should be replaced with suitable replacements which could house cafes and visitor centres.

Most important of all, if Aberdeen is serious about rejoining the tourist and leisure industry, the North Esplanade should be extended north of the River Don.

By connecting to the Parkway, this would firstly remove one of the city’s worst bottlenecks, but by extending a further mile or so to the north an entertainment city could be established overlooking the virtually inaccessible beach north of the river. Peter Mearns, St Swithin

Street, Aberdeen