Aberdeenshire Council and Live Life Aberdeenshire have confirmed an opening date for the new Banchory Sports Village.
Work is progressing at pace on the £8.5 million facility at Hill of Banchory and today it has been confirmed it will be fully open to the public on 20th August 2019.
It is funded by Aberdeenshire Council with support from North Banchory Company who supported both the development land and links with the local renewable biomass heating system, as well as the Banchory Sports Village Trust who raised £700,00 for the project through extensive community fundraising.
The current plan will see a phased approach to the opening. Doors will open to groups of users on the 16th August, with the start of the regular “pay for a swim” timetable kicking off on Tuesday 20th. It is anticipated there will be a formal opening later in the year.
Chair of the Sports and Culture sub-committee at Aberdeenshire Council David Cook said: “This is a big milestone for Banchory, the area, and for Live Life Aberdeenshire. This facility reflects our wider commitment to providing state-of-the-art sporting facilities in partnership with the community, delivering something which we can all be proud of. I am looking forward to being there on the opening day to get a sense of the range of activities on offer.”
Chair of the Communities Committee is Councillor Anne Stirling welcomed the new facility: “This project would simply not be reaching this milestone if it were not for partnership. We have been able to deliver this facility by working with project partners and the community, as well as with the support of some former Aberdeenshire councillors, all of whom were fundamental to getting this off the ground.
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“It will provide benefits for the people of Banchory and beyond, with physical activity and cultural experiences being such a recognised part of promoting health and wellbeing. This is a project of which we can all be proud.”
Keith Mair, Banchory Sports Village Trustees chairman said: “An enormous amount of community effort went into raising the funds necessary to bring this project to Banchory, starting almost thirty years ago, so it is very exciting to see it now so close to completion.”
CEO of North Banchory Company David Smart said: “We are extremely proud to have played a key role in this community project over the past 12 years. To see the Banchory Sports Village in the final stages of its development is something the partnership has worked tirelessly to achieve, and we are delighted that the communities of Banchory and beyond will soon have access to state-of-the-art sporting facilities for the entire community to enjoy.”