GLASGOW-based MBLA Design has been appointed to produce a masterplan for the revamp of Elgin’s Cooper Park.
The masterplan will provide a clear framework to guide future investment in the town’s main park, ensuring it to be a vibrant space at the heart of Elgin.
Working closely with Moray Council’s Elgin neighbourhood board, MBLA will progress work to produce a Masterplan for Cooper Park, showing proposed facilities, landscaping, paths, lighting, and signage; create visuals to help visualise the park’s transformation; and prepare a phased delivery plan, with clear costs, that looks for ways to share costs, avoid duplication, and align the works with the wider Moray Growth Deal and Levelling Up Fund projects.
Further to this will be a feasibility study on the park’s pavilion; identify suitable sites for potential new facilities including pump track, bouldering, multi-use games areas (MUGAs), and enhanced play spaces; and enhance biodiversity and resilience to climate change through soft landscaping and natural flood management measures.
Moray Council leader, councillor Kathleen Robertson, said, “This is another important step in delivering the investment Elgin needs. Cooper Park has the potential to become a true hub for leisure, culture and community life, and by planning its future carefully we can make sure improvements complement the major projects already underway through the Levelling Up Fund and Moray Growth Deal. Together, these investments will transform the heart of Elgin for generations to come.”
Matt Benians, firector of MBLA, added, “I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be involved in the future of Cooper Park on behalf of Moray Council and the community. Gifted to the town by Colonel Cooper along with Grant Lodge, the park was laid out at the beginning of the 1900’s. I’m looking forward to the design engagement process, learning along with local residents and stakeholders about their appreciation and aspirations for the park to develop proposals for the park, making it fit for the 21st century, while respecting its history.”
The Cooper Park masterplan will be completed by Spring 2026 and will form the foundation for a rolling programme of works, aligned with the wider programme of investment being delivered through the Elgin neighbourhood board, the Levelling Up Fund and the Moray Growth Deal.
