Aberlour Town Centre Improvement Plan

To enhance Aberlour town centre by making it a well-connected, accessible, inclusive, greener place that is easy and safe to move around for people of all ages and abilities.

• Encourage people to walk and cycle (active travel) by improving paths and roads to make them easier and safer to use for people of all abilities (accessible), particularly between the Square and Alice Littler Park;
• Support the enhancement of Alice Littler Park;
• Improve the attractiveness of the streets and public spaces through enhancements to paving, street furniture, planting, etc. (the ‘public realm’);
• Improve signage and develop an interpretation trail that embraces Aberlour’s heritage;
• Explore further opportunities for electric vehicle (EV) and bike charging points, cycle parking and storage; and,
• Support the refurbishment of public toilets that have been the subject of a Community Asset Transfer (CAT).

• Develop the Active Travel Network and an Active Travel Masterplan for Aberlour in consultation with the community;
• Provide new and improved cycle parking at key destinations within the town centre.

The Council’s Active Travel Strategy 2022-27 sets out a number of actions to encourage people to walk and cycle. These include further developing the Active Travel Network and developing Active Travel Masterplans for key settlements across Moray, including Aberlour.

Connections between the Square and Alice Littler Park are currently shared spaces for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles. The main connection outside the Parish Church can become congested and conflicts can arise. A safer and more accessible environment could be created by clearly defining pedestrian and cycle paths through the use of different paving. The potential to introduce these measures will be investigated through the Active Travel Masterplan which will be developed in consultation with the community.

Provision will be made to upgrade and add cycle storage and parking facilities in key locations in Aberlour identified in consultation with the community. Further facilities for storing and charging electric bikes will be investigated subject to finding an operator.

• Make the centre of Aberlour more attractive, accessible and inclusive by upgrading street furniture (e.g. benches) at the Square; and,
• ‘Greening’ streets and public spaces through additional landscaping and planting.

The public realm includes streets, squares, green/open spaces, etc. The public realm is an important element that ‘knits’ together the town and is fundamental in creating an attractive place where people want to visit and spend time, which in turn increases footfall for businesses and facilities. The Council will explore opportunities to enhance the public realm in Aberlour and potential funding opportunities to implement proposals.

The Square is a well-maintained and attractive space within the centre of Aberlour. However, the area would benefit from upgrading seating areas to make them more accessible and inclusive for people of all ages and abilities. There may also be opportunities for additional planting.

The Park is currently in the process of a CAT by Aberlour Community Association Council (ACA). The proposal supports ACA’s aspirations to transform the play and recreational facilities within the park and create a more accessible and inclusive place that people of all ages and abilities can use. This includes replacing play areas and associated surfacing, seating including picnic benches, etc. to accessible/inclusive standards, and making play equipment vibrant and engaging for children. It is also proposed to upgrade the path network to encourage further use and support healthier lifestyles, and create routes that can be used by people of all mobilities. The Council will continue to support the ACA’s plans for the park and seek to identify further sources of potential funding.

• Work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to review and rationalise street signage, and consider opportunities for digital (i.e. QR codes) signage; and,
• Develop a cohesive interpretation trail based on local knowledge and Discover Moray’s Great Places.

Signage is an important element within a town centre as it helps visitors find their way around. It is important for promoting tourism and directing visitors to local attractions. However, too much is confusing, leads to clutter and detracts from the appearance of the town. The Council will work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside to review signage and explore opportunities to rationalise and incorporate digital wayfinding. Integrating ground level waymarking that ties in with a heritage or other trails will be investigated to help reduce the clutter of multiple signs. The review will focus on providing clearer directions to attractions and amenities within Aberlour such as Alice Littler Park and the surrounding area.

An interpretation trail is important for tourism as well as promoting the heritage of the town for local residents. A significant amount of work was undertaken through the Discover Moray’s Great Places project and the Council is intending to develop this into a heritage trail that will cover the whole of Moray. This will provide a coordinated and consistent approach/format for heritage trails. There will be opportunities for local communities and groups to inform the development of their part of the trail. Depending on the shape and form that these trails take, there may also be opportunities to develop complementary bespoke local heritage trails which further support tourism.

Explore opportunities to provide additional EV charging points to promote environmentally conscious travel and encourage healthier lifestyles.

The proposal aims to build on the carbon conscious and active travel provision within the town centre. Recent investment in a Speyside Low Carbon Hub has seen improvements in Aberlour to the Speyside Way, installation of bike repair stations and the provision of a hybrid electric car and two electric bikes for hire.

The proposal will investigate the potential to increase the network of EV chargers within the town centre for use by residents and visitors in keeping with the Scottish Government’s new funding requirements and the Council’s future EV strategy. The facilities would be located in key destinations such as public car parks in and around the town centre.

• Support the refurbishment of public toilets that have been the subject of a CAT.

The public toilets at the Square were the subject of a CAT by Aberlour Community Association (ACA). The Council will work collaboratively with Visit Moray Speyside and community bodies to support refurbishment plans and identify further funding sources for capital works.