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Construction of the landmark museum of Aberdeenshire and new Peterhead Library is set to begin in June.

The multi-million-pound project will be delivered by Hub North Scotland and marks a major milestone in the transformation of Peterhead town centre, breathing new life into the historic Arbuthnot House on Broad Street.

Alongside the ongoing redevelopment of Macduff Aquarium, the Cultural Quarter project continues to be supported by £20 million from the UK Local Regeneration Fund alongside council investment and major contributions from national funding streams.

It forms part of the Council’s continued commitment of £150 million in investment for the town including construction of a much-anticipated replacement Peterhead Academy which will deliver a modern, inspiring and fully accessible learning environment, supporting education, wellbeing and community life for decades to come.

However, the Council last week made the difficult decision not to progress with the planned refurbishment of the former Public Library and Arbuthnot Museum building on St Peter Street as part of the town’s Cultural Quarter project.

Significantly increased construction and material costs associated with delivering the wider project have necessitated the reallocation of the Council’s capital funding to ensure these main elements can proceed.

Redirecting funding in this way will enable work to begin imminently on the flagship museum and library development, securing long-term cultural, educational and economic benefits for Peterhead and Aberdeenshire.

The Council recognises the disappointment this announcement will bring, but it remains committed to working with stakeholders to identify future funding streams and ensuring the building enjoys a long new lease of life.

The Council has also confirmed that Peterhead Library will continue to operate from the town’s Leisure and Community Centre for the next few years as the former library building is not fit for purpose.

Read the full news release here: June construction date for museum of Aberdeenshire and new Peterhead Library - Aberdeenshire Council

New Frequently Asked Questions on the Carnegie pages have also been published. You can find them in the Useful Documents section on this newsfeed.

Following recent engagement and a Community Sense Check of the Peterhead 2040 themes, we are reviewing and refining the draft Partnership Place Plan to ensure it reflects what communities have told us. Feedback from residents, young people, community groups and local organisations is being used to confirm what feels right, identify anything that may be missing, and test whether the proposed themes, priorities and actions align with lived experience.

This feedback is being considered alongside local data and partner insight to help finalise a focused set of priorities and actions that are realistic, achievable and meaningful for Peterhead and the surrounding communities. The updated Peterhead Partnership Place Plan will clearly show how community views have influenced decisions, set out who will lead delivery, and explain how progress will be monitored over time as we move towards publishing the Plan.

Engagement Event, Peterhead Town House, September 2025

Peterhead is expected to see a new Academy for 1,400 pupils opening in August 2028, following approval of plans in early December.

Aberdeenshire Council are working with AECOM to identify safe walking, wheeling and cycling routes to the new Academy on Kinmundy Road.

AECOM have created a set of possible route options using heatmaps that show where most current pupils live and the shortest routes they would take to reach the Kinmundy Road site. Further information on these routes is provided in the brief which you can access here. To help us with our work, we want to hear from the wider school community about any challenges you face when walking, wheeling or cycling in Peterhead. Your feedback will help us understand what needs to be considered so that as many people as possible can travel safely and actively to the new school.

If you want to take part please use the link below (this will take you to an external site).

Peterhead Community Campus - Active Travel Routes (Page 1 of 15)

This survey has now closed, with many thanks to those who participated.

Staff at Peterhead Library are preparing to move to their temporary new location during construction of the new library and Museum of Aberdeenshire centred around Arbuthnot House on Broad Street which is being funded by the UK Government and other external funding sources.

The library will close on Christmas Eve as Live Life Aberdeenshire staff prepare to work over the festive period to relocate to the open space near the soft play area within Peterhead Community and Leisure Centre.

There will be a temporary pause in service provision until the new arrangements are completed – but we expect to be open to customers by mid-January, still offering a very good range of books, DVDs, audio books, local studies materials and reading group collections.

Once relocated we will also continue to provide a range of digital resources including access to computers, printers and photocopying, and will still be hosting our regular community group activities.

Throughout the move and once we’re relocated at the Leisure Centre – you can still reserve books or use Click and Collect.

The library’s relocation will enable us to make improvements to the Carnegie Building on St Peter Street ahead of a new operator taking on the running of the facility as a major new arts and cultural venue for Peterhead.

Plans have been submitted for the new multi-million pound Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library.

The project will see the listed Arbuthnot House at the lower end of Broad Street sensitively restored and extended to house both the town’s library and a new museum showcasing Aberdeenshire’s extensive heritage collections and artwork.

It forms part of the ambitious “Cultural Tides: North Sea Connections in Aberdeenshire” bid being supported with £20million from the UK Government alongside the renovation and extension of Macduff Marine Aquarium.

The new museum will provide many opportunities for local communities to learn about the heritage of their area as well as providing visitors with the full breadth and richness of the region’s stories and past.

Read the full news release here: Plans submitted for new Museum of Aberdeenshire and Peterhead Library development - Aberdeenshire Council

The survey on exhibitions and events sought to determine what people would like to see at the new venue and what price-point they would be willing to pay for these events and activities. It outlined the different spaces that might be available to hire and asked about the different bookings people might make, for business or social events. There were 57 responses to the survey.

When people were asked what kind of events they would like to see in the new venue, the top three responses were: music events 30%; meet and greets (for example with authors or artists) 52%; and museum late-night openings with special activities 43%.

Respondents were asked what they would be prepared to pay for events and activities if they included materials or offered exclusive access. 54% said they would be willing to pay £5 or £10 for such activities, with 29% saying £2 or £3, and 25% willing to pay up to £20.

The survey asked what respondents might consider hiring spaces at the new venue for. 55% said private parties, 43% said community group meetings and AGM’s, and 32% said weddings.

When asked to rank topics for temporary exhibitions, the result was as follows, with 1 being the most popular and 8 the least: 1 Archaeology and history; 2 Science and nature; 3 Noteworthy Individuals; 4 Photography; 5 Art & Sculpture (traditional / old masters); 6 Costume; 7 Movie and media related displays; 8 Contemporary Art & Sculpture

When they were asked what they might be willing to pay to visit these temporary exhibitions, 49% said £5-10, 33% said £5, and 14% said £10-15.

If discounts were to be offered, most respondents wanted to see these prioritised as follows: Aberdeenshire residents 73%; Family / group discounts 56%; Senior Citizens 50%; Students / Young people 38%; LLA membership 34%; Low Income 30%; Annual pass 27%; Friends’ organisation pass 10%.

Comments received included: requests to loan back important objects that are in other museums’ collections, with the Book of Deer being mentioned multiple times; securing blockbuster touring exhibitions with natural history being a favourite theme; and creating temporary exhibitions covering various aspects of Aberdeenshire history and heritage.

We asked, You said, We will

A community gallery within the new venue will allow for regular changing exhibitions either of material from within the council collections or material that is co-curated with local communities. A touring exhibition gallery will allow larger ‘blockbuster’ style exhibitions to be programmed and, when not in use for exhibitions, the space will be utilised for events and available for hire. Planning for the touring / temporary exhibitions schedule will take account of the themes requested through the engagement process and pricing (along with discount options) will reflect the information received. Discussions are commencing with other museums to borrow items for display and while specific pieces cannot be guaranteed, the loan requests will reflect a broad range of material types and geographic areas across the shire.

The museum survey asked what sort of collections should be displayed and what stories should be told in the new galleries. It asked respondents what elements were important within the galleries (such as interactives or audio and video) and asked what digital resources visitors might find useful before, during and after a visit. There were 204 responses to the survey.

When asked to rank the topics that could be covered in the new museum, the result was as follows, with 1 being the most popular and 9 the least: 1 Scottish history; 2 Inspiring people; 3 Archaeology; 4 Natural history; 5 Art; 6 Archives; 7 World history; 8 Regional summaries; 9 Conservation and museum practice

In terms of the types of objects that could be displayed in the galleries connected to these topics, the top three choices were: photos (77%), archives (49%) and domestic and social history items (48%). In a close, joint 4th, position were costume and archaeological objects at 42%.

When asked what items they would like to see brought in on loan to the new museum, respondents said (in order): objects that are from Aberdeenshire but have ended up in collections elsewhere; objects from elsewhere that tell important stories connected to Aberdeenshire; objects in private collections that are rarely seen; and highly unusual and rare objects but with no connection to Aberdeenshire.

Respondents stated that the 5 most important things for the interpretation (in order) were: that there was suitable interpretation for children as well as adults; that display cases and galleries changed regularly; that there was audio and video; that there were interactives within the galleries; and that the interpretation openly discussed difficult issues such as colonialism and climate change.

The most popular digital resources that respondents said they would like to see developed for the new museum were: touchscreen content in the galleries (76%); 3D models to play with and digital projections (joint at 50%); and online educational resources for pre and post visit (42%).

Comments received included: a range of suggestions for objects and stories to be included in the new interpretation; details of groups and organisations to contact for object loans or information that could be used in the new displays; and suggestions for interactives and activities in the galleries. Key themes for displays emerged from the comments as maritime related material (fishing, whaling, Arctic exploration etc), the Keiths, Jacobites, international trade and travel (from and to the shire), material related to religion and belief, and material related to the Picts.

We asked, You said, We will

The interpretive planning for the new museum includes a specific gallery for

Peterhead, to showcase the town’s stories. Shire-wide themes will include: maritime

related material; key figures from across the shire; music, literature and song

(including a focus on Doric material); a range of key historical periods (Pictish,

medieval and Jacobite amongst others) and world cultural material brought to the

shire such as Inuit artefacts acquired during whaling voyages and Arctic expeditions.

There will be specific galleries for the photographic and art collections that can be

regularly changed by the curatorial team and there will also be a community gallery

that will allow co-curation opportunities for local community groups.

Aberdeenshire Council’s contractors MTM Construction have started work on refurbishing the public realm at Clerkhill Shopping Precinct.

The works started on 19^th August are expected to take eight weeks in total.

Following engagement with the local community, the works will focus on improving the surfaces and removing elements like the cobbles from the area in front of the shops, known as the public realm. Bike stands and benches will also be added, to improve safety and provide places for people to rest and catch up with neighbours.

Maintaining access to the businesses throughout the work is challenging. The contractors are working hard on this and will be working in stages along the precinct to reduce disruption.

The online Engage survey asked respondents what they would be likely to use the new library for, with a range of options offered, including borrowing books, studying, attending specific events, and scheduling meetings. It also asked what kind of events visitors would like to see in the new facility, to help plan an events and outreach programme, and what users might be willing to pay for some events, if additional materials or experiences were to be offered. There were 89 responses to the survey.

When asked what their top 3 uses for the library would be, 85% said “borrowing items”, 55% said “events such as Bookbug, Knit & Natter, or a local book group”, and 47% said “events such as author talks and knowledge exchange transfer”. The specific events which the largest number of respondents wanted to see running in the new library were: author talks and events; Bookbug sessions; and children’s craft sessions.

Respondents were asked what sort of price they might be willing to pay for events and activities where materials were provided or exclusive access given and 47% said they were willing to pay £2.00, 38% said they would pay £5.00 and 31% said they would pay £3.00.

Comments received included: suggestions for activities that could continue / be started at the new venue; concerns about the library moving due to access and parking issues; and requests for longer opening hours.

We asked, You said, We will

Work will take place to develop an events and outreach programme for the reopening, influenced by the information received from the survey. Space will be allocated within the new venue to allow a variety of uses by different groups at any one time, such as private study, reading, socialising or a specific event. An outside area will be included for reading and public events.

The shop at the new venue will cater for visitors to the museum, library and temporary exhibitions gallery on site. The survey asked respondents what sort of products they might buy in the shop and what sort of price they would consider paying for these products. It also asked what sort of discounts visitors might be interested in seeing offered in the shop. There were 24 responses to the retail survey.

When asked about the top 5 items they might purchase in the shop: 75% of respondents said they would be interested in buying locally made arts & crafts; 50% said they would buy special occasion gifts for family & friends; 46% said they would be interested equally in souvenirs related to temporary exhibitions and reproductions of photographs and art in the museum collections; 33% said cards and postcards; and there was a tie in fifth place, with 29% of respondents saying books, museum and library branded items, and homeware.

When asked what amount they might consider spending in the shop, the top three responses were: £5-10; £10-20; and up to £5. When asked what discount schemes they might be interested in the top three responses were: discounts for Aberdeenshire residents (91%); Live Life Aberdeenshire membership discount (60%); annual passes at a reduced rate (30%).

Comments received included: concern at competition for other local shops; using the shop to showcase the work of Aberdeenshire artists, writers and musicians; using the Live Life Aberdeenshire app to administer discount schemes; and an offer from a local supplier interested in selling their material through the shop.

We asked, You said, We will

Work has yet to begin on purchasing retail stock for the shop, but the community wish for local producers to be showcased will be taken on board so we can incorporate locally produced stock where possible. A range of items, based on the museum and library collections, will be explored, and price points for goods will reflect the responses received.