Core Paths Network Review for Aberdeen City Council

Aberdeen's network of core paths benefits both local people and visitors by providing a framework of routes for recreation and for travel. Core paths also help to manage access in environmentally sensitive areas and assist land management. The core path network includes natural and constructed paths and caters for many users including walkers, cyclists, horse-riders, and canoeists.

Nestrans, the Regional Transport Partnership for the North East of Scotland, commissioned our team to conduct a thorough review of the core path network to assess path condition, identify any health and safety concerns and grade each path to provide detailed baseline information. The study will help inform a future Core Path Plan Review and suggest priority actions to improve the network. We conducted a prioritisation assessment of possible options, considering cost, benefits and effectiveness, and the deliverability of options. The resulting study considers the likely impact of options on biodiversity and the environment, safety for users, , and options that increase accessibility and social inclusion.

The process of carrying out this network survey, and recommending additions, gaps or rerouting of the network, will provide an unprecedented opportunity to take a fresh look at how local paths in Aberdeen are being used and how the network can be improved.