Cycling Scotland engaged with all registered social landlords in the north east to develop applications for residential Cycle storage including Sanctuary Housing, Grampian Housing, Aberdeen City Council Housing and Osprey Housing Association. These are organisations with a noted demand for residential cycle storage and who previously delivered high quality cycle storage projects. Unfortunately, most did not have the internal staff capacity to engage with residents and deliver storage facilities within the financial year.

An exception to that is Osprey Housing association and Cycling Scotland provided support to provide secure cycle storage facilities for 36 residents at Lingbank Court in Peterhead. The project was initiated by residents who currently have nowhere to securely store a bike. As value in kind Osprey are installing an electricity supply and motion activated lighting ensuring that residents feel safe using the bike store. In 2008 Peterhead became Aberdeenshire’s first cycle demonstration town and this project allows residents to benefit from the resulting investment in cycling in the area.

After receiving approval from Nestrans in Q3, funding has been reallocated to meet evidenced demand for school cycle storage bids with Aberdeen City Council. Nestrans funding to the value of £ 37,624.80 will provide school cycle parking at 6 schools.

By opening this fund to a wider range of cycle storage and parking projects as well as residential cycle storage Nestrans has been able to fully fund the school cycle parking requirements of both Aberdeenshire Council as well as Aberdeen City Council.

Cycling Scotland has also worked with Aberdeenshire Council to repair and improve the public cycle parking facilities in Fraserburgh, one of Aberdeenshire Council’s Integrated Travel Towns.

This has left an underspend of £10,554.00.

An unforeseen benefit from funding this year has been the close working with local authority officers allowing Cycling Scotland to share information and guidance on the key considerations for installing high quality cycle storage across different settings.

We have reached out extensively to all social housing providers based in Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City and despite many having an identified need for residential cycle storage, given capacity issues and the time scales involved most have not been able to commit to delivery this financial year. Support provided to Osprey Housing to develop a project requesting £12,502 for two secure cycle storage hangars and motion sensor lighting at Lingbank Court in Peterhead. Secure cycle storage will offer residents safety and confidence when storing their bike and will encourage residents not to store bikes in inappropriate areas. Lighting offers increased safety to users in winter months. As this application was received late in Q3 it has not been included in the Q3 Claim and will instead be progressed in the next quarter.

Despite the documented demand for residential cycle storage, this will leave £54,767 unallocated. Following discussion with Nestrans, funding could be reallocated to meet demand in the School Cycle Storage program which is greatly oversubscribed.

Aberdeenshire council has requested £7,700 for covered cycle parking in Peterhead, where a recently delivered regeneration project highlighted the need after consultation with locals. Project will also repair the roof of the existing cycle shelter in Fraserburgh. This has been discussed with Nestrans alongside the proposed reallocation of funding in which they agreed the best course of action is to develop potential residential cycle storage projects first and then revi ew project with Aberdeenshire Council.

We are working with Sanctuary Group, a national social housing provider who have previously installed secure residential cycle storage in the North East. Sanctuary’s team of housing officers are working to identify sites and suitable cycle storage solutions where bikes are currently being stored inappropriately or a need for cycle storage has been expressed by tenants. Grampian Housing and Langstane are also carrying out similar work to identify suitable sites.

Aberdeen City council are currently delivering a secure residential cycle storage project funded by Cycling Scotland at their high rise flats and have identified further need for cycle storage at their high rises. The initial cycle storage project was informed by a resident survey in 2021 which highlighted the need for cycle storage. This was reinforced by reports from housing officers of bikes being stored in communal areas creating a potential fire hazard. After installation of cycle storage at 4 high rises they have received more requests from housing officers and increased demand from tenants for secure storage are now looking at installing walk-in secure cycle storage at their other high rises. An application and costs for this are expected in Q3.

Engagement with housing associations in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire Local Authority areas underway.

Meetings held in June with registered social landlords with scoping activity in Aberdeenshire underway on potential locations for secure storage to meet residential requirements and increase number of secure cycle parking and storage spaces.