The council have told Aberdeen they’ll have to fund their planned new stadium.
The Dons have been seeking a relocation from PIttodrie for a while now with the venue showing its age, and plans for a new home at Kingsford were scrapped with fans now backing a beachfront location instead. A proposed £80million development will help generate £1billion for the city ’s economy, it is claimed. Ahead of talks with Aberdeen City Council, it had been hoped that they would provide some funding towards the project.
But ahead of a report on the potential switch being published next week, it has been confirmed that the club will be required to provide the capital themselves, which will come as a blow to chairman Dave Cormack. Head of Commercial for the council Craig Innes has penned the report, which states that the local authority’s position on the new stadium would be "dependent on the capital investment for the stadium being provided by Aberdeen Football Club."
The beachfront development is set to include a new leisure centre, and the report highlighted concerns that the two facilities could overlap. It reads: "Should the decision be reached to develop the stadium, the accommodation requirements of the new leisure facility may be adjusted to take account of overlapping facilities and shared areas."
"This includes a decision on whether the stadium and leisure facility become a combined facility. In this respect the programme will be subject to review to reflect the revised scope of a combined stadium and leisure facility, should it proceed."
The report also revealed that the council had contacted the club in a bid to establish funding for the project and that Aberdeen had replied: “The recommendation at this time is to ensure provision for the stadium to be considered should AFC progress with their funding options for the beach."
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