Work has started at Aden Country Park, following Aberdeenshire Council’s successful £375,000 funding application to the Rural Tourism Infastructure Fund (RTIF).
In response to community consultation and increased visitor numbers, the Accessible Aden Project focuses on improvements which both enhance and improve the quality and accessibility of toilet and parking provisions.
The Aden project, which is due to be completed in July 2022, will also see the introduction of bicycle stands and eight new electric vehicle charging points. These are aimed at promoting and encouraging low-carbon sustainable transport options.
Managed by VisitScotland on behalf of the Scottish Government, the RTIF was created to improve the quality of the visitor experience in rural parts of Scotland which have faced pressures due to increased visitor numbers.
It aims to reduce the impact of visitor numbers on local communities and facilities by creating a more collaborative and sustainable approach to infrastructure provision. It also focuses on the long-term maintenance of local facilities for the benefit of communities.
Pressure on Aden’s existing facilities has been mounting over the last few years, and was exacerbated throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. With visitor numbers increasing rapidly, the existing park and toilet facilities are now showing the strain of additional use.
Aden Country Park is a haven for individuals and families to socially-distance themselves, a place for play or exercise, a venue for respite, or simply a resource which allows people to easily engage with heritage, nature and wildlife.
Consultation with visitors and the wider Buchan community helped identify that the toilet and parking facilities don't match visitor expectations and require improvement. Further engagement with a local parent and careers accessibility group helped identify the need for fully accessible Changing Places toilet provisions and improved disabled parking.
Changing Places toilet facilities are essential for more than 240,000 disabled people in the UK and their families. This resource provides equipment to help those with profound and multiple learning disabilities, muscle-wasting conditions, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy. It also assists those who have suffered major physical trauma, a head injury or stroke, and the elderly.
Standard accessible toilets meet the needs of some disabled people, but not all. The number of people who need access to Changing Places accessible toilets is increasing rapidly, and some families and carers are often unable to go out because they rely on Changing Places toilets which are often unavailable.