Dons’ joy at stadium go-ahead
ABERDEEN chairman Stewart Milne insists the club will ‘unlock’ its true potential after winning approval for a new £50million stadium and training complex. A special meeting of Aberdeen City Council yesterday approved the proposal to relocate eight miles to the west of the city by 32 votes to nine. While the campaign group No To Kingsford Stadium have already stated they will demand a judicial review and the Scottish Government have yet to grant final approval, Aberdeen hope to put the first spade in the
ground this summer. Provided matters run to plan, the Dons expect to bid farewell to Pittodrie and begin playing games in their new 20,000-capacity home at Kingsford in time for the 2021-22 season.
While club officials were elated at yesterday’s seismic development, it emerged that related plans for parking facilities and a footbridge will have to go through Aberdeenshire Council, who have previously raised objections.
But the club believe they have taken an enormous step towards the multi-million pound proposal becoming a reality.
Milne stated: ‘After 17 years, we are one step closer to a new home that will allow us to meet our vision and ambition for Aberdeen Football Club, our city and our region.
‘Together, we can deliver a firstclass facility that will make us all proud, unlocking the potential of the club, the trust and the next generation of football stars and making a positive contribution to the local economy.
‘We applaud the councillors for taking this decision in the face of considerable objections. We are fully aware of and sympathetic to those in Westhill and Kingswells who have objected to our plans and I want to reassure them that we want to engage with them to deliver community facilities they can all enjoy and benefit from.
‘I’d like to sincerely thank all those who have supported our plans and the Aurora campaign: our fans, businesses, community groups, sports organisations and individuals.
‘I’d also like to pay tribute to our team of advisers and experts who have worked professionally, effectively and tirelessly for almost two years on this application.
‘The next steps are to await final approval from the Scottish Government, agree the section 75, work through the conditions with the council, and secure the necessary road and building warrant consents. Assuming these move at pace, we should be in a position to begin construction of phase one this summer.’
The No Kingsford Stadium (NKS) group had already stated they would fight the development all the way, claiming the verdict is contrary to policies in the Local Development Plan.
NKS also argue that the £8.5m economic contribution of delivering the project is ‘grossly overestimated’.
The group said last October that they had received nearly £30,000 in donations and pledges with a view to taking their fight through the courts.
A statement released by NKS shortly after yesterday’s vote read: ‘No Kingsford Stadium has worked tirelessly to prevent the approval of this application.
‘We have shown that the application is contrary to the development plan and our position is supported by the Strategic Planning authority, Aberdeenshire Council and the local community councils. We commissioned an independent review of the economic case which found that AFC had “grossly overestimated” the impact.
‘It is our view that officials and councillors have failed in their duty to apply the law in this case and we will now progress our petition for Judicial Review.’
The club had launched a massive public relations offensive to try to push the proposal through. Entitled ‘Aurora — One City, One Team, One Dream’, it repeatedly warned that the club faced an uncertain future if they were left to play at a crumbling Pittodrie — the club’s home since their formation in 1903.
Manager Derek McInnes was vocal on the subject, insisting that the matter was ‘pivotal’ for the club and insisting a new stadium and training facility was required if Aberdeen were to become a ‘bigger animal’ financially.