Proposed changes to police estate in Deeside
Police Scotland has opened public consultations on proposals to make changes to police stations in Braemar and Aboyne in Aberdeenshire.
The proposals are to dispose of the current station in Braemar, as policing will transfer to new facilities within the Braemar Mountain Rescue Centre, and also to dispose of Aboyne police station.
Braemar Mountain Rescue Centre has undergone significant expansion securing the future for mountain rescue and policing in Deeside and the south side of the Cairngorms National Park.
The building, which is jointly owned by Police Scotland and Braemar Mountain Rescue Association, has been extended to increase the overall footprint for both organisations and will become the main operational base for Police Scotland in Braemar.
Local Policing Inspector, Keith Greig said: “Having a police office in Braemar is important, not just for day-to-day operational requirements in the Upper Deeside community, but also as our resourcing increases significantly during mountain rescue incidents and special events such as the Braemar Gathering.
“The upgraded facilities will significantly benefit ourselves and mountain rescue for their individual use, but also for joint training exercises and incidents that require our combined skills and expertise.
“As our Braemar based officer will work from the new offices at the mountain rescue centre, the leased building on Balnellan Road in Braemar will no longer be required.
“Aboyne police station has not been used as an operational policing base for two years. Officers have been successfully serving the mid Deeside area from Banchory and Ballater since 2023.”
Inspector Greig added: “I realise how important access to policing services is to local communities and how visibility of officers provides reassurance and confidence to communities.
“Having individual stations in each community along the Deeside corridor has been beneficial in the past, however with advances in our fleet and digital devices, officers now spend their shifts out in communities being more visible rather than sitting in stations. Retaining an underutilised station is not making best use of public resources.
“Our proposals will retain the three stations of Banchory, Ballater and Braemar as the main police hubs for Deeside and will enable officers to continue to be visible and accessible in the area. The public counter service will also remain at Banchory.
“Under these proposals there would be no change to the delivery of policing services. We are committed to providing the Mid and Upper Deeside communities with a high level of service.
“If you have a particular view on these proposals, please engage with our consultation process and provide feedback via our Engagement Hub. The consultation will close on Wednesday, 17 December, 2025.”
https://consult.scotland.police.uk/strategy-insight-and-innovation/involving-you-in-the-future-of-our-estate/
• The consultations on the proposed disposal of the Balnellan Road property in Braemar and disposal of Aboyne Police Station has gone live today, Wednesday, 19 November, 2025, and will close on Wednesday, 17 December, 2025.
• The consultations for each building can be found on our engagement hub https://consult.scotland.police.uk/strategy-insight-and-innovation/involving-you-in-the-future-of-our-estate/
• Consultation reports for each building, which will highlight the feedback received, will be published on our engagement hub in the New Year.
• A final decision on the proposed disposals of Aboyne police station and the station at Balnellan Road in Braemar will be considered thereafter. Any final decision made will be fully communicated.
• The closest public counter facility for the Deeside community will remain at Banchory which operates a two week shift pattern of opening between 8am and 4pm/5pm on rostered days. See the Police Scotland website for details.
