A new Dons stadium at Aberdeen beach is “still on the cards” – as long as the football club pays for it.
Aberdeen City Council finance chief Alex McLellan says the local authority would never agree to build a £80 million complex for the Reds unless they raise the cash themselves.
It comes as city leaders look over proposals to shelve future stages of the multi-million-pound transformation of the waterfront until they get extra resources to fund it.
Building a potential replacement for Pittodrie at Aberdeen beach was touted a key part of the ambitious revamp when the plans were first launched.
But the project has since descended into a stalemate as Dons bosses and council leaders remain at odds over who should pay for it.
‘It was never the plan to spend millions on new Dons stadium’
The development is part of the revamp’s second phase, which also includes building a new boardwalk stretching out across the shore from the Beach Boulevard.
And there is now further doubt as to whether the new Dons stadium will ever come to fruition as the seaside overhaul could be put on hold indefinitely.
Mr McLellan says the council would still be willing to look at the possibility of a new complex for the football club, but only if they “come forward with private money” for it.
He said: “To deliver the stadium, it would require private investment.
“It was certainly never the plan for the council to spent hundreds of millions of pounds on this and build a football stadium for Aberdeen FC
“But we are open to exploring options and there obviously an opportunity there for the football club to collaborate with us and invest in the wider scheme.”
Aberdeen FC has been approached for a comment.
But how important is the Dons stadium to the revamp’s success?
Opposition councillors have previously claimed the revamp of the city’s waterfront will fail to “deliver meaningful benefit” to the community without a Dons stadium there.
The project was hailed “crucial” to the masterplan’s success.
In 2022, the new stadium was priced at £80m – with Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce forecasting it would add an extra £20m a year to the city economy.
And club chairman Dave Cormack has promised vast community benefit too – pointing out various football clubs around the world as inspiration.
Mr McLellan added: “I think that [the Dons stadium] is still on the table, and if the club were willing to come forward with private money for it then we could look at that.”
The future of the beach masterplan will be discussed at a crunch meeting next week.
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