The wait is over for fans of Scottish Premier League soccer side Aberdeen FC after the formal approval was given to the club to build a new stadium and training complex at Kingsford, near Westhill in the northeast of Scotland.
The proposal for a £50m (US$69m) 20,000-seat stadium has been an ongoing saga since 2011 and despite a decision edging closer, plans have been on hold since June 2017 as they went through the approval process. Now Aberdeen City Council has officially rubber-stamped planning permission for the development.
A letter sent to developers said, “Aberdeen City Council, in exercise of their powers under the above mentioned act, hereby grant planning permission for the said development in accordance with the particulars given in the application form.”
The council’s letter does admit that the development goes against the Green Belt policy, which would have been a barrier to the build, however it goes on to say:
“Whilst this policy would potentially allow for elements of the development it is nevertheless the case that, taken as a whole, the development represents a significant departure from policy NE2, particularly in terms of its encroachment onto a green buffer which visually separates existing settlements of Kingswells and Westhill and contributes to maintaining their separate identities as well as the wider landscape setting of Aberdeen.
“Nevertheless, sufficient information is available to enable officers to conclude that there are no other sites with Aberdeen that would be suitable, available and deliverable that would be preferable in term of environmental impacts.”
The next phase of the process requires Aberdeen FC and its developers to provide full plans and details of the new stadium and training complex to satisfy requirements before work can commence.
Some stipulations for the stadium stated in the approval document say that the venue cannot be used for live music concerts and weekdays games must not kick-off before 7pm.
April 25, 2018
