Loirston chosen for new stadium

Aberdeen FC set to move

EXCLUSIVE

By Charlie Allan

 

Published: 03/04/2009

 

THE Evening Express can today reveal the preferred location for Aberdeen’s new community stadium.

 

The £38 million community facility, which will become home to Aberdeen FC, will be at Loirston Loch in the south of the city.

 

It follows a year-long series of feasibility studies to decide if the site at Nigg would be the best location for the stadium.

 

The report on the recommendation of the Nigg site will now go out to consultation and will be referred to the council’s policy and strategy committee on April 28.

 

A number of other potential sites across the city, including one at King’s Links, were examined by Aberdeen City Council and Aberdeen FC and it was decided all of them were unsuitable.

 

Aberdeen FC managing director Duncan Fraser, who is also a member of the Arena Project Advisory and Monitoring Board created to advise of the best site and stadium design, said: “These recommendations have still to be approved and at the appropriate time, there will be a full consultation process with fans.

 

“Their feedback will be important.â€

 

For more on this story, and an exclusive image of the new arena, pick up today’s Evening Express or check back later

Seems there’s 41 councillors to vote, not all are making a wee speech though.

 

Really? Seems like there's been about 800 speeches.

 

If not, come on the silent majority...

Really? Seems like there's been about 800 speeches.

 

If not, come on the silent majority...

 

They’re just going through the motions. It’s all done & dusted.

C'mon then

 

What's the odds looking like?

 

C'mon then

 

What's the odds looking like?

 

It's a done deal. Unless there are a heap of folk hiding somewhere in the building.

I've just watched 2 minutes of it.

 

English bastard on just now

 

What the fuck is it to do with him?

Here comes the vote

Bastard

 

 

 

 

Ha ha ha ha

approved 32 - 9

32-9

Well well!

 

Lets see if the plans kick off from now or if we're stuck in legal challenges.

Nail bitingly close.

Well well!

 

Lets see if the plans kick off from now or if we're stuck in legal challenges.

 

Pretty much my thoughts.

No doubt an appeal will be lodged.

Hope every one of those against find themselves chucked off the gravy train come the next council elections

Pretty much my thoughts.

No doubt an appeal will be lodged.

Hope every one of those against find themselves chucked off the gravy train come the next council elections

 

Yes. We wouldn't people voting against a majority. That would be a disaster for democracy. I think everyone should vote the same way regardless of their own opinion.

Yes. We wouldn't people voting against a majority. That would be a disaster for democracy. I think everyone should vote the same way regardless of their own opinion.

 

 

Not totally sold on the idea,but kinda glad a line's been drawn under it all(for now at least). Got our work cut out to make it a success,but lets hud g'an...

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[Kingsford approved.]<br><br>"I'd like you to explain why we should build a 20,000 capacity stadium that's seven miles from the city centre and has no transport links."<br><br>Milne: "That's the most intelligent question I've ever been asked...Next question! You there, eating the paste." <a href="https://t.co/2lKvP3KgWt">pic.twitter.com/2lKvP3KgWt</a></p>— Simpsons SPFL (@SimpsonsSPFL) <a href="

29, 2018</a></blockquote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

Well this is a pleasant surprise. I just hope we do it right. No skimping on materials etc. make sure it’s the fucking dogs bollocks. Can’t wait for my first piss in a west hill garden.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">[Kingsford approved.]<br><br>"I'd like you to explain why we should build a 20,000 capacity stadium that's seven miles from the city centre and has no transport links."<br><br>Milne: "That's the most intelligent question I've ever been asked...Next question! You there, eating the paste." <a href="https://t.co/2lKvP3KgWt">pic.twitter.com/2lKvP3KgWt</a></p>— Simpsons SPFL (@SimpsonsSPFL) <a href="

29, 2018</a></block quote>

<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

You just need to paste the URL to the tweet min, the forum will do the rest.

Get it built!! 

If you build it they will come

 

Or something like that?

If you build it they will come

 

Or something like that?

 

When you build it

 

They will come

 

For the first 4 - 5 season

 

At which point they won't bother their arses

 

Field of Dreams/hazardous landfill waste

As a well know miserable bastard (even more reason to be so at the moment) I for some reason am looking at the potential positive aspects of this development

 

The current transport plan looks a bit ropey especially given the love in Aberdeen has with its cars and unsubtle approach to negative public transport conditions however at the moment it is  just 'a plan'.

I am under no illusions that it will have teething problems possibly even be a complete disaster in the beginning but at the same time it is in the clubs and both council's interest to make this work and after a couple of seasons a system will be in place and/or improvements will have been made or planned until things run smoothly and it reaches the point where people occasionally say 'remember how bad this was when it started' and kids look at them in bewilderment.

They will have test runs (reserve games, friendlies etc) well before it formerly opens to see what they are up against. It isn't going to be a case of 'new season, sold out first game against yon tic, lets just wing it!'

 

With this new stadium comes hungry developers and/or hungry delboys seeing an opportunity to coin it in. Possibility of up to 20000 people on your doorstep every second week (or on rare occasions 3 times in the same week) from July - May each year. Restaurants, pubs, shops etc could (and probably will) start to appear and with them comes improved road infrastructure (planners will insist).

Downside of this is what the people of Kingswells & WestHill fear IE their 'semi rural' homes will be swallowed up by the buzzing metropolis of Europe's oil capital.

 

Infact this stadium actually falls right in with a proposed development & transport strategy that was presented to my Uni class (think it was by ACC) back in 2003 or 4 which I believe was based on a plan from before the Beeching cuts took hold in the late 60s. Aberdeen as a city would take on the appearance of a stretched human hand reaching in from the North sea with each finger being a transport/ circulation 'corridor' leading in and out of the city. Theses 'green' corridors (I imagined tree lined motorways while sat in the lecture hall) would be proper highways or perhaps even new railway/ tram lines (yes, we as early 20s students scoffed at this too) and was supposedly a plan to remove the problems of the choked A90 & A96s. Funnily enough though I don't recall this plan ever showing the Bypass.

 

IF it actually gets past the scottish executive and is finished before the 2022 Scottish elections the emphasis should be on the city to make a success of it.

Maybe being able to watch the game without having to sit in a wind tunnel getting rained on, or having to stand on tip toes to see the corner flat over a fence, or to crouch down / stand on your seat to see the goal line at the beach end, or having to peer around several pillars or stand up every 5mins for someone needing to get past, being able to get to the toilets without fighting through the pie stall queues etc, will make going to AFC games that little bit more attractive.

 

Can't get on the first batch of shuttle buses you say? why not head to the stadium bar, or (and I think the club would be stupid not to do this) have a coffee in the stadium concourses while the queues clear?  or just bugger off 15mins before the end like folk already do except this time a large chunk are onto the bypass rather than eve  :wave:ryone heading to a gridlocked King street & shiprow.

 

Or perhaps think of it like this

At least its not another shopping mall, or glass office block

Milne's "I'm very happy" position on North Tonight last night was sickening to see.

 

Irrespective of whether or not this is a good decision and a good plan, it was sickening to see.

 

The original plan was to redevelop Pittodrie. Stage 1 of that was the RDS. The rest is history.

 

And it's been a pretty pathetic miserable history since he came on board over 20 years ago.

 

I just hope the bad karma that his greedy little grasping persona brings doesn't sink the ship.

 

IF it actually gets past the scottish executive and is finished before the 2022 Scottish elections the emphasis should be on the city to make a success of it.

Maybe being able to watch the game without having to sit in a wind tunnel getting rained on, or having to stand on tip toes to see the corner flat over a fence, or to crouch down / stand on your seat to see the goal line at the beach end, or having to peer around several pillars or stand up every 5mins for someone needing to get past, being able to get to the toilets without fighting through the pie stall queues etc, will make going to AFC games that little bit more attractive.

 

Can't get on the first batch of shuttle buses you say? why not head to the stadium bar, or (and I think the club would be stupid not to do this) have a coffee in the stadium concourses while the queues clear?  or just bugger off 15mins before the end like folk already do except this time a large chunk are onto the bypass rather than eve  :wave:ryone heading to a gridlocked King street & shiprow.

 

Or perhaps think of it like this

At least its not another shopping mall, or glass office block

 

It is another shopping mall or glass office block. It's inspired by that type of development at least. Not integrated and without thought to the surrounding area. There should be no emphasis on the city to do anything, it's a stand alone venture by a stand alone private company. That is entirely clear in this project, and should be abundantly clear in its treatment. That's not to say that anyone should be spiteful, unhelpful or deliberately put up barriers, but the onus is entirely on the club to make a success of it - no one else.

 

I agree with your suggestions about the bar and/or coffee arrangements, but the problem with these out of town Ikea-type developments (or even AECC with bugger all round it) is that they lure you in with an event then take the piss with absolutely atrocious food offerings and shite beer served by massive companies that have zero interest in AFC. Everything in the club's current food offering at Pittodrie suggest that perhaps that won't change. I think we'll see, as we get closer to the development/building stage, that we'll sign some long term contracts with the likes of Sodexo that will help finance the project whilst selling us out in some binding agreement to provide shite food. Hopefully not, it's a huge opportunity to make it good. To be honest, I probably have different ideas as to what constitutes good food from the majority of folks anyway.