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Cruden Bay

Community Action Plan 2024

Cruden Bay Community Action Plan 2024 – Summary

Introduction

The Cruden Bay Community Action Plan 2025 replaces the 2018 plan and sets out priorities for the next five years. It was developed by the Buchan Development Partnership (BDP) in partnership with a sub-group of the Cruden Bay Community Association (CBCA), following community surveys and an engagement event at Port Erroll Village Hall in November 2024.

Over 100 residents contributed to the process, identifying strengths, challenges, and ideas for improvement across 12 themes.

About Cruden Bay

Cruden Bay is a coastal village in Aberdeenshire, known for:

  • A historic harbour, beach, and dunes

  • The ruins of New Slains Castle, famously linked to Bram Stoker’s Dracula

  • A championship golf course (ranked among the world’s top 100)

  • A population of around 1,900 (2024), with new housing developments continuing.

The village offers schools, shops, healthcare, sports facilities, and community halls, but faces ongoing issues with infrastructure and services.

Community Engagement

Residents highlighted what they like most:

  • Coast, woods, and beach

  • Harbour and historic castle

  • Strong community spirit

And what they dislike:

  • Poor transport links

  • Condition of local paths

Top 5 Priorities (2025–2030)

  1. Affordable and reliable public transport – Improve bus links to Aberdeen, Peterhead, and Hatton surgery. Explore volunteer driver or community transport schemes.
  2. Cruden Bay community website – Create a central online hub for news, events, and local information.
  3. Dog fouling – More bins and signage, supported by community campaigns.
  4. Path to Slains Castle – Address drainage and maintenance issues to ensure safe access.
  5. Access to healthcare – Increase availability of doctors’ appointments at the local surgery.

Themes and Key Actions

The plan groups community issues into 12 themes:

  • Transport & Roads: Better bus services, drainage repairs, more parking at the hall.

  • Buildings & Facilities: Explore a new multi-use hall; solutions for library closure; improve Mill Park astro.

  • Local Economy: Support a local produce shop, start-up business units, and cultural events (e.g. Dracula Festival).

  • Community Activities: Develop a Men’s Shed, youth club, and more sports/wildlife activities.

  • Health & Housing: Expand GP services, promote affordable housing.

  • Information & Communication: Launch website, improve noticeboards, distribute minutes, broaden council representation.

  • Natural Spaces: Allotments, nature reserve at old brickworks, coastal conservation.

  • Moving Around: New cycle paths, improved steps and routes, hedge maintenance.

  • Feeling Safe: More visible policing, tackle speeding and antisocial behaviour.

  • Care & Maintenance: Tackle dog fouling, fly tipping, and maintain local woods.

  • Resilience: Volunteer system for emergencies, clearer communication of resilience plans, sandbag reserves.

Moving Forward

Some projects will be community-led, while others require council or third-party support. Progress will be reviewed regularly, with updates available through the CBCA, Community Council, and the BDP website.

Check out the complete Cruden Bay Community Action Plan 2024 below or download a copy by clicking here