Aberdeen Fooball Club chairman Dave Cormack has welcomed the city council’s decision to keep a new community football stadium within plans to redevelop the city’s beachfront area.
The team has been exploring its options with regard to moving away from Pittodrie and was invited by the council to discuss the possibility of collaborating on Aberdeen’s regeneration ‘masterplan’.
However, proposals to have a new net zero stadium at the heart of the project appeared to have lost momentum recently, with the sourcing of funds emerging as a potential stumbling block.
Cormack issued a plea at the club’s AGM on Monday for the council to keep the collaboration plan on the table, and the owner is delighted that they opted to do so at a meeting of councillors on Wednesday.
“We are committed to working collaboratively with the council on the logical next steps to delivering and funding a flagship community asset that will benefit the city centre and the wider economy,” Cormack said after learning that the council remains supportive of the plans.
“If Aberdeen is to compete for the people and investment in order to thrive and prosper, we must have bold, ambitious projects that provide the amenities and facilities which will entice people to come here to work, live and play.
“The stadium at the beach is not simply about a home for Aberdeen FC where we would play one top-flight men’s game every second week.
“Instead it’s a genuine community asset, that would be used every day of the week to host the community and visitors, that cements our position as a leading developer of professional sport, that supports grassroots sport and actively promotes health and wellbeing.
“It not only keeps the club in the city and is supported by an overwhelming number of our fans, but it also retains and increases footfall and spend in our city centre, supporting local businesses and transforming the leisure offering for citizens and visitors.”
The plans for a new urban park and an events space at Aberdeen's beachfront were given the go-ahead by councillors yesterday.
The first phase of the masterplan will focus on the development of the new parks, as well as landscaping and structure projects on Broadhill.
This will include a play park for children, a sports area and pump track, canopies and now the addition of a cycle track, while the nearby events field is planned to home an amphitheatre, events field and a 'hub' building.
The council said that Broadhill will also be re-landscaped as part of the work and include new structures from which the revamped beach area can be viewed by visitors.
Councillors agreed that officers should progress with "seeking the relevant statutory consents" to begin work.
A motion by council co-leader Ian Yuill to include cycle lanes as part of the first phase interventions was also agreed during the meeting.
The report comes after a six-week consultation period. Council co-leader Alex Nicoll said: “I am delighted that we have been able to agree these important steps towards making the first phase of the beach masterplan a reality.
“It is vitally important that we do everything we can to enhance the immediate area to make our seafront the envy of other cities and a place where local people and visitors alike will want to return to again and again.”
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