Practical proposed steps for Aberdeenshire.
The stages explain what should happen first. They are not promised completion dates. Funding, powers and ongoing costs need to be established before a proposal is adopted.
Proposal
Turn empty shops into useful places
The Fraserburgh fund identifies rising vacancies and falling footfall.
A grant award alone does not mean a shop is trading.
Evidence
Who could lead: Aberdeenshire Council.
- Start now
Publish the eligible streets and empty-property starting point.
- Over the next few years
Track occupied premises after grants are paid.
- Over the longer term
Check whether businesses remain open after support ends.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Town-centre funding criteria and consultation.
Measure: Count sustained use of premises.
Trade-off: Refurbishment can cost more than a new tenant can afford.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Fraserburgh BIG Ideas Fund →
Proposal
Make the new museum useful throughout the year
Peterhead’s museum and library project has a named contractor.
Libraries and cultural space can serve local residents as well as visitors.
Evidence
Who could lead: Aberdeenshire Council.
- Start now
Publish the confirmed construction programme.
- Over the next few years
Plan affordable activities and transport access with residents.
- Over the longer term
Review library use, repeat visits and operating costs.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Contract appointment in May 2026.
Measure: Separate construction completion from public opening.
Trade-off: A larger attraction also needs a sustainable running budget.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library →
Proposal
Keep promised benefits tied to delivery
The museum announcement sets out construction intentions rather than completed facilities.
Delays would postpone access to the new services.
Evidence
Who could lead: Aberdeenshire Council.
- Start now
Confirm start dates and explain changes publicly.
- Over the next few years
Publish spend and remaining work against the agreed scope.
- Over the longer term
Review benefits after a full year of operation.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Project still at a delivery stage in the reviewed announcement.
Measure: Maintain a dated milestone log.
Trade-off: Protecting historic fabric can change costs and timings.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £205,000 (July 2026) in Aberdeenshire council area. This is about £9,000 higher than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £205,000 (July 2026) in Aberdeenshire council area.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
31.1% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in Aberdeenshire council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 18.2% in Fraserburgh and District to 46.4% in Banchory and Mid Deeside — a gap of 28.1 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Banchory and Mid Deeside and Fraserburgh and District; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 31.1% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 18.2% in Fraserburgh and District to 46.4% in Banchory and Mid Deeside — a gap of 28.1 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 19 of 19 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or higher →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library →
Fraserburgh BIG Ideas Fund →
Tarlair Lido Pavilion restoration →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole Aberdeenshire council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
Who could lead: The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library →
Fraserburgh BIG Ideas Fund →
Tarlair Lido Pavilion restoration →
