Renewed cries for Aberdeen City Council to plough millions into a new Aberdeen beach football stadium have been issued as the local authority finalises its spending plan for the year ahead.
Tory group leader Richard Brooks has called on local authority chiefs to get back around the table and cough up the cash to get the ball rolling on a new Dons ground at the beach.
The stadium saga has been at a stalemate for years – with neither the council nor Aberdeen Football Club willing to pay the estimated £4 million for a study into a new home for the Reds.
But with the annual budget talks looming, councillors are being urged to make a choice.
Mr Brooks cited the huge economic boost for the city centre as his reason for backing the plans, calling it a “sure return on investment” for the council.
But can the council afford to pay full whack for stadium study?
Speaking to The Press and Journal, the Tory said that the reported £4 million fee to kickstart the new Dons stadium is a “drop in the ocean” for the council.
As the leader of the Conservative group, Mr Brooks will put forward an alternative vision for how best to use council cash in 2025/26.
Mr Brooks said: “I would be in favour of the council paying for the study, but it would have to be reprioritised from what they are already doing.
“If you have a look at the work that’s happening right now at the beach, we’re talking up to £50m for a new park area that’s currently being built.
“And we’re talking about £4m to have a feasibility study for the football stadium that would incorporate the ice hockey stadium and leisure facilities.
“If you are going to spend £50 million on a playpark, then this is a drop in the ocean compared to that.”
He continued: “For some reason, Aberdeen City Council’s administration are not putting that money in that place.
“What I’m suggesting is that they just reprioritise what they’re already going to spend.
“I’m not suggesting we give more money away, just prioritise what we have.”
Why have beach stadium talks stalled?
Mr Brooks also lambasted local authority chiefs for their handling of negotiations with Aberdeen FC.
Talks seem to have broken down between the two over the last few years.
The Tory group leader added: “It just seems illogical that their conversations and their consultation with Aberdeen Football Club has always been talked about as if it has broken down.
“They just don’t see that there is an opportunity to enhance what we’re trying to do at the beach by redistributing their priorities.
“So, to miss out on the chance of embracing 20,000 visitors to the beach area is ridiculous and you can’t just say that conversations have broken down.
“It needs to be a bit more robust than that.”
How would new stadium benefit Aberdeen?
Previous reports had estimated that a whopping £1 billion could be injected into the city’s economy over 50 years from a new Aberdeen FC beach stadium.
And this makes it even more frustrating for Mr Brooks that the council won’t invest the £4m into a feasibility study for the new ground.
“This is something we want to fight for as part of our beach redevelopment,” he continued.
Mr Brooks also pointed towards similar community stadiums such as Brentford FC’s and Bolton Wanderers’ – which have brought numerous economic benefits to their areas.
What is happening with Aberdeen beach stadium?
The last we had heard of the beach stadium saga was when the years-long stalemate was broken, with the council and the club hitting out at one another.
The councillor controlling the city’s purse strings, Alex McLellan, had suggested it was Aberdeen FC’s reluctance to part with cash that caused the stand-off.
Mr McLellan previously told The P&J: “We have seen the visuals of what that could look like. The council has put money into plans to get them to a certain point.
“But it’s fair to say that if we were going to go any further, looking at a great level of detail, that would be when significant costs begin to rack up.”
But Dons chiefs denied these suggestions, calling them “disingenuous”.
They took exception to the fact that they were being asked cough up more cash – despite having already sunk £5m into their search for a replacement stadium.
Should the council pay for the stadium study? Let us know in our comments section below
Why won’t council pay for Aberdeen beach stadium study?
Mr Brooks tells us he remains confused about the hold-up.
The Kincorth, Nigg and Cove councillor said: “I don’t know what the history is between the current administration and the football club.
“I know they don’t seem to be best of friends looking in from the outside.
“I don’t know what the reluctance would be, it’s a no brainer for me.
“It seems that if I were going to invest money into something that has a sure return, that has a measurable and achievable return, then the football club and the ice hockey facility are winner.
“They’ve got to be the lowest risk items to put your money into, so I just don’t know why the administration won’t pay for the study.”
The SNP and Lib Dem administration will unveil their spending plan later this week.
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