Council asked for £5.5m injection

Aberdeenshire councillors are being asked to sign off on a £5.5 million contribution to the expansion of Aberdeen harbour as part of the Aberdeen City Region Deal.

To accommodate existing and future demands for harbour services in the region, including support for decommissioning, offshore renewables, large cruise liners and a bigger Northern Isles ferry, Aberdeen Harbour Board is expanding into the Nigg Bay, south of the existing harbour.

Land-based construction, road strengthening and breakwater construction work began earlier this year and the project’s target completion date is June 2020.

The overall cost of the project, including major road improvements, is expected to be around £350m.

A key project of the Aberdeen City Region Deal, the harbour expansion includes a commitment of up to £11m from Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City councils to fund supporting infrastructure.

The £5.5million contribution and Aberdeen Harbour business case will go before infrastructure committee councillors next week for approval.

Committee chairman Peter Argyle said: “Our regional economic strategy recognises the importance of investment in the region’s ports and harbours and this proposal to contribute to the infrastructure element of the harbour expansion project aligns with that.”