Aberdeen Football Club’s vice-chairman last night urged the public to “judge on the facts” as the proposals for a new £50million stadium were lodged.
The detailed planning application for a 20,000-seater stadium, football academy with outdoor pitches and pavilion has now been lodged for at Kingsford, between Kingswells and Westhill.
The document also gives details on the access roads, parking, landscaping and engineering works around the 61-acre site.
However, the project has already met objections – with the No Kingsford Stadium group arguing the site is the only piece of greenbelt land between Westhill and Kingswells north of the A944, and was not designated for development in the local plan.
But last night Dons boss George Yule argued the Kingsford area was no longer rural – and said it was the perfect space for a 21st century stadium.
“Our message is judge us on the facts because there’s a lot of misinformation being put out,” he said.
“For this club to relocate to a new area, you’re looking at circa 60 acres of land.”
“By definition you’re not going to get 60 acres of space within a city.
“But Westhill is not a garden suburb anymore, you’ve got the Lang Stracht that is extended almost up to Kingswells,
Kingswells has extended almost onto Prime Four, then you’ve got the AWPR.
“Some people in that area are being very selective about what they’d like there because they’re are still building an industrial park over at Arnhall and there’s retail development in the centre of Westhill.
“Up and down the length of the UK there are football clubs relocating to modern stadiums for the 21st century and moving anything from 40,000-70,000 people.
“It would be a sad reflection of Europe’s oil capital if we couldn’t take an average crowd of 13,500 out eight miles from the city centre to a new stadium.”
Clare Davidson, of the No Kingsford Stadium group, however insisted it would set a “very dangerous precedent” if the plans were approved.
“Our concern is that the piece of land that the development is going on is green belt and not in the city council’s local development plan,” she said.
“If this goes ahead it sets a very dangerous precedent for the rest of the green space around the city.”
A consultation is running until February 27, before city councillors make a decision.
If approved, the Dons hope to have phase one of the project, the £10million football academy, complete by the start of the 2018/19 season before moving to a the new stadium two years later.
The construction of the facility is expected to create 400 jobs and benefit the local economy to the tune of £21.4million.
Mr Yule said he believed the huge project was important for the north-east, given the tough economic climate.
He added: “The oil industry has been here for the best part of five decades and we need to start planning for the future because we’ve been setback in the last couple of years by the oil price fall.
“The training and community facilities represent a near £50million investment of private sector money.
“Although this project in itself isn’t the answer, it’s part of the answer.”
