Open and blue and green spaces are important for our quality of life. Aberdeen has a variety of blue, green and open spaces that benefit both people and nature. These include open areas of land in and around communities, and include parks, gardens, playing fields, woodlands, play areas, allotments, and civic spaces as well as water features such as ponds, burns and rivers.
They can also include rain gardens or Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS), and other connected areas of green infrastructure that together form a green network.
Open spaces have multiple health and well-being, economic, and environmental protection benefits. They improve health and wellbeing while also giving us opportunities to connect with nature and people, tackle the global climate-nature crisis, promote nature recovery, and make positive environmental changes.
How we manage open spaces and the natural environment also plays a crucial part in delivering the Net Zero Aberdeen Routemap, Aberdeen Adapts, our Natural Environment Strategy, the Council Climate Change Plan and the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy.
Aberdeen's open and green spaces are managed by Aberdeen City Council, partners, community groups, volunteers, businesses and other organisations.
Open Space Audit and Strategy
The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 requires planning authorities to carry out an audit of open spaces and to prepare and publish an open space strategy as well as assess the opportunities for play in their area.
The planning system plays an important role in protecting and enhancing open spaces for community use, sport and recreation as well as providing high quality new spaces.
An open space audit is used to assist with protecting and improving green spaces through the planning process and by supporting blue green infrastructure policies in the Aberdeen Local Development Plan and National Planning Framework 4, the spatial strategies for Aberdeen and Scotland. Open spaces, natural areas and green belt sites are used to protect our most important environmental assets and areas.
A regular audit provides key information on the types, quality and accessibility of open and green spaces in Aberdeen that are critical to directing greenspace policies, management of spaces, and the interventions of partners as well as help to deliver the outcomes in the Aberdeen Local Outcome Improvement Plan 2016-2026.
Aberdeen’s Open Space Strategy aims to provide attractive and appealing places and sets out our vision to improve the quality of our open spaces.
We expect to complete a refreshed open space audit by 2024. This will inform an update to the Natural Environment Strategy which will outline how we manage and improve green and open spaces for the benefit of people and nature in Aberdeen.
The adopted Open Space Strategy 2011 and Open Space Audit Report 2010 are available to download.
If you require further information, please contact:
Guy Bergman
Natural Environment Policy
Strategic Place Planning
Aberdeen City Council
Business Hub 4
Ground Floor North
Marischal College
Aberdeen
AB10 1AB
01224 053221
gbergman@aberdeencity.gov.uk