Plans for 333 new homes at Bridge of Don have come under fire from the golf course next door.
Persimmon Homes have unveiled detailed plans for new development, which has been about a decade in the making.
If approved, the empty space at the former AECC will finally be filled, having lain empty since the arena closed in 2019.
But the plans have caused a stir in Bridge of Don, with some neighbours objecting to the idea of so many new homes.
Where is the new Bridge of Don development?
The new site is located just behind the former AECC building, where the auditorium and overspill car parks once were.
Plans show the development stretching from the Aberdeen Energy Park all the way down to part of the Gordon Barracks.
The whole development will take up 14 hectares, the same size as 20 football pitches.
These plans come just a few months after Aberdeen City Council approved a new £3.7 million recycling centre right next door.
And £5.5 million plans to turn the neighbouring Silverburn House site into 72 homes are also in the works.
What kind of houses will be on offer?
In total, Persimmon Homes hope to build 333 homes at Bridge of Don.
This is broken down into 16 one-bedrooms, 62 two-bedrooms, 159 three-bedrooms, and 96 four-bedroom houses.
In line with council rules, 25% of these homes will be affordable housing.
How much will it all cost?
Persimmon Homes will look to spend a whopping £35m on the new development.
Included in this will be money spent benefitting the wider Bridge of Don area.
More than £115,000 will be splurged on improvements for Ellon Road, where plans show the footpath being widened for cyclists, and the existing zebra crossing being changed to a Toucan crossing.
Furthermore, if plans are approved, developers will commit to funding a new 3G football pitch at the Alex Collie Sports Centre in Bridge of Don.
Land director for Persimmon Homes, Robert Patrick, said he was “really pleased” to bring forward plans which will “see a significant investment made in improving the local community”.
Bridge of Don park and ride could return
One service that could return if things go to plan is the Bridge of Don park and ride.
The facility closed last year due to low passenger numbers, but with a huge influx of new residents, the initiative could be brought back.
Persimmon Homes say that their new development would help sustain a “high frequency” of buses to the city centre.
Before the park and ride closed last year, The Press and Journal revealed that just 56 cars on average per day were using the facility.
What do you think of the new housing development at Bridge of Don? Let us know in our comments section below
What do the neighbours think?
But not everyone is so optimistic about the potential new development.
One neighbour who has raised objections to the plans is Royal Aberdeen Golf Club.
Their main concerns come from an increased risk of Bridge of Don residents being hit by wayward golf balls.
Residents will have to keep their ears peeled for shouts of “FORE”, as the plans show homes being next door to the driving range at Royal Aberdeen.
Their objection states: “Golf shots are played taking care not to hit others, but the risks increase where there are members of the public hidden from view, or members of the public or homes are close to the boundary.
“We have specific concerns about public access onto the golf course and the play areas associated with the new development that will increase the risk of members of the public being hit by golf balls.”
And it’s not just the neighbours to the east that are complaining…
Church lists questions they want answered
Kings’ Church, who are based in the former AECC front building, raised some questions about the development themselves.
They wrote to the council asking about “the implications” the site would have on the “1,500 or so” people who use the facility.
In their letter, church boss Grace Addanki listed a number of issues she wants addressed by the developers.
These range from the effect noise from Sunday services would have on those in the homes, drainage and traffic issues, and even some businesses not being notified of the project potentially taking place.
They state: “With the church being a place of worship, there is a high possibility of
sound impacting the residents living closer to the church boundary.”
But pastor Iain Duthie later clarified that the church is “keen to embrace the development next door”, and “wants to make the experience for the folk living there the best it can be”.
“There are issues we would like answered but we are not against it,” he added.
You can read the full plans here.
Read more:
Conversation