Aberdeen FC’s plans to build a multimillion-pound football stadium and training academy to the west of the city have sparked heated debate at a public consultation.
The club’s vice-chairman George Yule and the team behind the Kingsford development returned for a second meeting in Westhill on Saturday at the public’s request.
Opinion about the £40million replacement for Pittodrie – which is planned for green space between Westhill and Kingswells – is fiercely polarised in the area and perspectives were similarly divided at the event at the Holiday Inn.
Concerns have been raised about where supporters will park on match days, with only 1,300 spaces allocated at the 20,000-seat stadium, and how fans will travel to the ground.
Karin McKay, a critic of the scheme who has lived in Westhill for 17 years, declared: “I think parking is a key issue. You can lay on buses but you can’t make people get on them.
“People may walk down the road to the park and ride – that would be dangerous.
“It’s a peaceful place to be – I don’t want a stadium. I don’t think it will benefit the community of Westhill.”
However, other visitors to the exhibition threw their weight behind the scheme. Stuart Mackenzie, an Aberdeen season-ticket holder, said: “I am 100% in favour of it. I think it’s an opportunity for the community of Westhill to give something to the whole region.
“As a supporter, you have to take a step back, put your scarf away and think about it overall. We can have a first class facility for the town and the north-east.”
Following the weekend meeting, Mr Yule confirmed the consultation was just the start of the planning process.
He said: “There is a group who are activists, who have attended every meeting and asked the same questions.
“The speculation isn’t helpful and, in particular, not to the residents. It’s giving them a distorted view.
“It’s right people have a right to an opinion. Ultimately, if we don’t satisfy the planning process, it won’t go ahead.
“For the club, that could be extremely damaging.”
