Council refusal to even contemplate public cash going towards the new Aberdeen FC stadium is bad news for the city, writes Scott Begbie.
And, with almost monotonous inevitability, there’s the cooncil once again running a wrecking ball through a grand vision for the future of the Granite City.
The cheers had barely died down for the plans to rejuvenate the beach area – and, in turn, the city centre – by having the Dons make their new home in the heart of Aberdeen.
“Huzzah!” We said. “There’s a bit of out-the-box thinking that would work.” To whit, not having Aberdeen FC decant to the hinterland, but instead keep them – and the thousands of fans and their footfall – in the heart of things.
And from that would flow all manner of opportunities for business, investment, growth; the wee things that would lift a tired area out of the doldrums and reinvigorate one of our most precious assets – the beach.
With some joined-up planning, it would create a golden corridor that would benefit all of us, to the tune of a £20 million uplift a year for our economy, according to the Chamber of Commerce.
Then, just as we were looking out the “Welcome to the golden future of Aberdeen” bunting, came the inevitable “Eh, don’t fink so” from the cooncil.
The sticking point being the refusal to even contemplate public cash going towards the new Dons stadium – despite the fact that building it at the beach would cost the club millions more than sticking with its Kingsford plans.
“We are not in the business of putting council money into football stadiums,” said Lib Dem leader, Ian Yuill.
What, not even a football stadium that would bring in millions to the economy? A stadium that the Dons would be quite happy for the city to use as a public resource – and a state of the art one, at that? A stadium that is a key component to the city’s own regeneration masterplan?
Blinkered much?
It’s time for discussion, not snap decisions
Of course, handing over taxpayers’ money to a private business concern is not generally a “good idea”. But, sometimes you need to engage a bit of lateral thinking – a degree of looking to the greater good, rather than the concrete strictures of dogma.
A flat: ‘No, go raffle yourselves’ isn’t helpful for anyone, not least the future of Aberdeen
It can’t just be willy-nilly, of course. There needs to be give and take, with fine details to finesse, and cast iron guarantees this is, truly, an investment of our hard-earned cash that will reap dividends for future generations.
That takes dialogue and discussion, exploration and engagement.
A flat: “No, go raffle yourselves” isn’t helpful for anyone, not least the future of Aberdeen.
At the very least, everyone involved in this plan needs to get out of their silos, get round the table and try to make this vision a reality. Otherwise, it will be just another grand plan for Aberdeen that gathers dust until it fades from memory. And that would be a spectacular own goal.
Scott Begbie is entertainment editor for The Press & Journal and Evening Express
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