East Tullos Burn

The East Tullos Burn is located in Torry in Aberdeen City, running through St Fittick's Park which is surrounded by urban and industrial development. Historically the burn had been modified, straightened, and deepened, leading to a degraded channel of little biodiversity value (Salix, n.d.). 

In 2013, following consultation with stakeholders and the local community, the design for the restoration of the burn was finalised (Fig. 1). In March 2014 the groundwork began, with the project completed in June 2014 - cbec eco-engineering UK Ltd led supervision and management with Salix delivering the construction of the project. The project cost £300,000 in total with funding supplied by SEPA's Water Environment Fund, Aberdeen Greenspace Trust, Total E&P UK Ltd, Aberdeen Forward, and the North East Scotland Biodiversity Partnership (Salix, n.d.).

The restoration involved physical improvement works to 1000m of river channel and associated wetlands (Fig. 2). The aim was for the burn and wetlands to function as a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS). This included 're-wiggling' 450m of straightened channel to create a 700m meandering channel, widening the burn floodplain, and restoring flow diversity. Trees were planted alongside 150,000 native wetland and wildflower plants, and a footpath system and footbridge were developed (cbec, n.d.; Salix, n.d.; SEPA, n.d. a; SEPA, n.d. b).

The end result 'delivered multiple benefits in an urban deprived setting', improving the burns physical structure, water quality, and management of surface water. It increased biodiversity and the aesthetic appeal of the area, and public access to greenspace (SEPA, n.d. a; SEPA, n.d. b).

The East Tullos Burn restoration project won several awards (Salix, n.d.):

• Highly Commended - Sustainable Development category of RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards 2015
• Environmental Initiative of the Year at the Herald Society Awards 2015
• Highly Commended Project - UK River Restoration Centre's River Prize Awards 2017 

However, the future of the East Tullos burn is uncertain. An Energy Transition Zone (ETZ) has been proposed at St Fittick's Park, with the East Tullos Burn likely to be realigned to make way for the development. There has been significant objection from local residents to the proposal, believing it would impact upon the health and wellbeing of Torry community as well as negatively impacting the biodiversity in the area. Supporters of the ETZ believe the proposal will generate investment in renewable energy and bring economic benefit to the area. Aberdeen City Council's planning committee granted approval in principle to the project in November 2024, however SEPA has lodged an objection to the proposal as the area is a flood-risk. The application must now go before the Scottish Government due to the SEPA objection before final approval can be granted (Topp & Walker, 2024).