Essential tree maintenance work is poised to get under way at Aberdeen's Duthie Park as part of major plans to breathe new life into the historic attraction.

Aberdeen City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) are joint funders of the project which aims to revitalise the historic 44-acre park, encourage even more people to visit, and make it an attractive setting for new activities and events.

The scheme will involve:

* tree planting and removal;

* renovation of the historic rose mound to its original height;

* re-instatement of the three linked ponds to create a boating lake and a bio-diverse wildlife pond which school pupils can use as an educational facility;

* restoration of the Duthie fountain to full working order in its original setting;

* re-introduction of the lost Victorian promenade.

One of the first phases will see the removal of 354 of the park's 1,400 tree stock. 100 of the trees earmarked for removal are dead, decaying or diseased, while the remaining 254 will be removed as part of the redesign. 115 of these 254 are small trees and overgrown shrubs or hedges, 88 are semi-mature and 51 mature. The Tree Survey Report carried out for the project found that just three of these 51 were classed as high quality, 27 of medium quality and 21 of low quality.

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140 semi-mature trees will be planted in their place with a starting height of 12-20ft, which is expected to greatly reduce the impact of the removals.

A spokesman for Aberdeen City Council said: "Many of the trees to be removed are either overgrown shrubs or self-seeded trees which were never part of the original design. The problem with some of the mature trees is that many are of a similar age and subsequently will be dying at about the same time. The removal programme intends to introduce a wider age range to the tree stock in the park and to develop a long-term strategy for tree maintenance to take the park into the next century.

"The Tree Survey Report carried out on the park found that some trees are heavily suppressed by their neighbours and there are groups of trees which could benefit from selective thinning. The report also found that in some cases trees have undue competition with other groups and will therefore fail to develop adequately."

Housing and Environment Committee convener Councillor Aileen Malone said: "Duthie Park is close to the hearts of all Aberdonians and known across the world, so I am delighted that we have a chance to make such a significant difference. The restoration work will see so many original features revived."

Tony Dawson, chairman of the Friends of Duthie Park group, said: "The Friends group is very supportive of the tree planting and removal programme which is essential to the overall restoration project going forward. It is clear from the technical Tree Survey Report that such work is vital to ensure the park's tree stock continues to flourish for generations to come."

The proposal to restore Duthie Park was conceived in 2001 and the project has since secured a £2.56million grant from the HLF, which will be matched with £2.67million from Aberdeen City Council. Initial public consultation was carried out from June-August 2006 with exhibitions in the Central Library and Ferryhill Library. Further public consultation was carried out in early 2010.

Duthie Park is one of the most popular parks in Scotland, with over half a million visitors every year. It was bequeathed to the city by Miss Elizabeth Crombie Duthie in remembrance of her brother and uncle and was opened in 1883 by Princess Beatrix. Its historical significance as one of the finest examples of a late Victorian public park has led to its inclusion in Historic Scotland's Inventory of Designed Landscapes and Gardens. The restoration and reconstruction of some of the lost features will be inspired by old written and photographic sources.

(GK)