Work has officially started on the new £333million Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Council leader Jenny Laing was joined by Nick Harris, director at Henry Boot Developments, to cut the first sod at the Bucksburn site yesterday.
The 12,500-seater venue could attract more than 30,000 tourists to the north-east, and the site will also include a green energy centre and three hotels.
Yesterday, Mr Harris said he was confident the project would be completed in time for the 2019 Offshore Europe exhibition.
He added: “This is a very exciting point in the project. We have been working on this for several years already but this is a significant milestone that leads to bigger and better things in the coming years.
“As well as being a place for the people of the north-east to be entertained, this new facility will also be a key element of the business structure needed to promote Aberdeen as a world energy city and the energy capital of Europe, and will provide a strong platform for sustainable economic growth for the area.”
The building work will mean the demolition of the 85-year-old Strathcona House and all the surrounding Rowett Research Institute.
The authority subsidises the current Bridge of Don site, four times smaller than the new arena, to the tune of £1.3million a year. But the council estimates it will end up paying as little as £100,000 annually for the Bucksburn development.
The council estimates 600 jobs will be created during the construction period.
Over the next 10 years, they predict the centre will attract four and a half million visitors spending around £113million.
Ms Laing said: “I’m delighted to be here to break ground, we have a huge regeneration project ongoing in the city and this is a major plank of that.
“We believe this facility will provide us with the ability to operate on a global stage, we will be able to attract exhibitions and conferences from around the world, it will be important to our economy as we move forward particularly as we look to diversify our economy with tourism.
“The transport links will be key, we are obviously close to the railway station and the airport, the western peripheral route nearby, we believe this will provide the opportunity for visitors to easily access and enjoy the site.”
Scottish Enterprise has contributed £10million towards development of the new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Infrastructure director Allan McQuade said: “We are pleased to support Aberdeen City Council and its development partner, Henry Boot Developments, with their significant investment which aims to put Aberdeen on the global stage for international events and bring much needed jobs and investment to the area.”
