Members of the Kincardine & Mearns Area Committee recently approved the grants and praised the dedication of those behind the various projects.

The funding programme distributes revenues generated by Crown Estate Scotland from which Aberdeenshire Council receives an annual allocation.

Projects must have a tangible link to the coast and/or sea and the site of the project or community must be within one mile of Aberdeenshire’s coastline.

The three successful K&M projects in this round of funding were:

Bervie Braes Path, Stonehaven - £22,925.75

A proposal was put forward by Stonehaven Town Partnership and local councillors to see the Bervie Braes path leading from Castle Street up and onto the Bervie Braes Road restored with the addition of a handrail to provide additional stability for users.

The upgrade of the path also builds on the work to replace the wooden boardwalk and installation of additional signage linking the coastal path from Cowie village along the seafront and up to Dunnottar Castle.

Mearns Coastal Heritage Trail - £40,000

For several years, the Mearns Coastal Heritage Trail has been focusing on restoring and maintaining the coastal path between Johnshaven and St Cyrus. It sought funding to support the next section requiring urgent attention by adding a row of rocks in front of the Seagreens cottages to protect the path from further storm damage.

Catterline Braes Action Group - £25,000

The Catterline Braes Action Group have completed a number of projects from implementing drainage solutions and planting trees to stabilising the slopes by using ground anchors and geogrid mesh. The group sought funding to engage the services of a consultant to undertake a feasibility study to perform assessments to estimate the potential future beach erosion and quantify the impact on the village of Catterline.