These recommendations became the requirements of a research contract, which went out to open tender, and the University of Aberdeen were assigned the contract. The contract contained two elements, known as list A, which was the responsibility of the University of Aberdeen, and list B, which were the responsibility of others, mainly Aberdeen City Council, but were included in the bid document as these “B” list projects could have some bearing on the overall objective of the integrated development of the Nigg Bay area. Most list B projects and components of some list A projects were either ongoing, or had begun prior to 2007.
Although divided into discrete sub‐projects, the overarching aim was to help regenerate the Nigg Bay area by improving amenity, recreational and educational use, landscape quality and, possibly, economic benefit. Most of the area was regarded as semi‐derelict, underused and, in places, environmentally degraded. Thus, an implicit aim of the project was to alter this negative perception of the area and engender the beginnings of a community sense that tangible improvements could be made. To encapsulate all the elements in the project under a single theme, the concept of a City Coastal Park, focussed on the improved use of Nigg Bay and its coastline, was proposed by SACRP and approved by the South Area Committee in May 2009.