The go-ahead has been given to build a “very welcome” all weather sports pitch in Aberdeen.
The 3G synthetic turf pitch will be built on the playing fields of Dyce Academy and will be used by the school pupils as well as local football and rugby clubs.
Aberdeen City Council will contribute £255,000 to the total cost, with another £300,000 coming from the Scottish Government’s Cash for Communities scheme.
Planning permission has been granted by the local authority and the pitch is expected to be complete by April.
Last night Mark Macdonald, MSP for Donside, welcomed the news – but claimed the council administration had taken its eye off the ball with delays and missed deadlines.
He said funding was initially awarded from sportscotland with a view to the pitch being delivered by early 2015.
He said: “I am sure residents in Dyce will welcome this news, they have waited a long time for the council to get its act together on this.
“There remain significant questions over how this project was allowed to run so catastrophically past its initial deadline, and it seems administration councillors took their eye off the ball.
“Nonetheless this is welcome, if belated, progress and hopefully there will be no further delays and the community will be enjoying a new facility in the very near future.”
But the council’s finance chief Willie Young said his administration were on track to deliver numerous, high quality 3G pitches to the city.
He said: “When Mark Macdonald was a councillor there was not one single 3G pitch in Aberdeen. By 2017 there will be four in Cove, Northfield, Dyce and the city centre so I will take no lectures from him.
“I’m content that we are moving forward with the 3G pitch at Dyce.”