A £700,000 project to upgrade Peterhead’s all-weather sports ground has passed its final hurdle.
Catto Park in Peterhead, opposite the port’s League One football team’s Balmoor stadium, is one of the oldest pitches of its kind in the north-east.
The £726,000 upgrade of the facility approved yesterday will replace the existing football surface and install a new pitch for local school children.
The plans had already been backed by local councillors and members of the Buchan area committee, and was sent to Aberdeenshire Council’s policy and resources committee for final approval of the cost.
Councillor Stuart Pratt, chairman of the local area committee and a member of the policy committee, said he was pleased the long-overdue project could finally begin.
He said: “This has been a long time coming but there have been reasons for the delay. This is good news.”
Councillor Norman Smith echoed those thoughts.
“This pitch is now 19 years old,” he said. “It was the first in Aberdeenshire and it has never been replaced so it is in very poor condition.”
Mr Smith stressed that a good maintenance programme is now needed to ensure the surface’s longevity.
In response to Mr Smith’s concerns, the local authority’s head of property Alan Whyte said his team will ensure the most modern and appropriate equipment from across the north-east is used to maintain the field.
In 2013, the council began negotiating a £4million investment into the park as part of a £17million overhaul of the area in partnership with Peterhead Football Club.
The new pitch will be moved from the existing position, and set back from the current parking facilities on site to allow for the larger project to progress without delay once finalised. The park was last given an update in 1997.