Judge throws out last-ditch bid by objectors to scupper 20,000-seat new ground and training complex
BY CHARLIE GALL A JUDGe yesterday rejected an attempt by objectors to block Aberdeen FC’s new £50million stadium.
Club chairman Stewart Milne said the Dons could now move forward “confidently” with plans for a 20,000-seat ground, state-of-the-art training complex and “community sports hub” at Kingsford, west of the city.
The No Kingsford Stadium protest group, which brought the case, is now running out of options. It said it was disappointed by the ruling and would “take time to consider matters” with its legal team before deciding the next steps.
Aberdeen City Council approved the complex in January but the protesters challenged the ruling. They say the stadium will spoil the green belt and create major traffic problems.
But judge Lord Tyre said they had failed to identify “an error of law in the approach of the council” to allow him to intervene.
The council said it welcomed the ruling that its process was “robust”.
The Dons say the new stadium is vital for their future, with Pittodrie, their home for more than a century, no longer fit for purpose.
They disputed objectors’ claims that there were better sites and insisted Kingsford, near Westhill, was the only option.
After yesterday’s ruling, delighted Dons manager Derek McInnes promised that the stadium would be an asset to local people.
He said: “We’ve always been engaging with the community, trying to make the facility inclusive to everyone, even to people who have objected.
“We’ll still try to engage with those people and make it the community centre as well as the professional training facility we want it to be.”
Work has already started on the training complex, the first phase of the project, and McInnes can’t wait to move in.
He said: “We feel we’re elite in most departments, but we’ve achieved a lot despite not having training facilities. My players and Aberdeen deserve better facilities.”
Milne said the ruling was welcome news for the club, the council and the wider region.
He added: “We can now confidently complete the community sports hub and training facilities and start moving towards phase two, AFC’s new stadium.
“We’ve already been engaging positively with local residents and community groups who support our plans.
“But following this decision, we will reach out to the whole community, even those who have objected.”