Aberdeen City Council has approved plans for a new £50 million Aberdeen FC stadium and associated facilities at Kingsford.

Proposals for the 20,000-seater stadium and training facilities were put on hold in October last year so the Club would be given more time to discuss the development with planners.

Councillors have now voted 32 – 9 in favour of the scheme, subject to a number of conditions.

As well as the new Kingsford Stadium, features will include a new football academy comprising outdoor pitches, pavilion and ancillary buildings, ancillary uses, access roads, parking and associated landscaping and engineering works.

Aberdeen FC chairman, Stewart Milne, welcomed the decision.

He said: "After 17 years, we are one step closer to a new home that will allow us to meet our vision and ambition for Aberdeen Football Club, our city and our region. Together, we can deliver a first-class facility that will make us all proud, unlocking the potential of the Club, the Trust and the next generation of football stars and making a positive contribution to the local economy.

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"We applaud the Councillors for taking this decision in the face of considerable objections. We are fully aware of and sympathetic to those in Westhill and Kingswells who have objected to our plans and I want to reassure them once more that we want to engage with them to deliver community facilities they can all enjoy and benefit from."

Aberdeenshire Council had earlier objected to the plans

In their report, planners stated; "Should members resolve to approve the application, due to the objection from Aberdeenshire Council, the Town and Country Planning (Neighbouring Planning Authorities and Historic Environment) (Scotland) Direction 2015 requires that formal notification is given to Scottish Minsters, who would then have the opportunity to ‘call-in’ the application for determination."

In addition, campaign group No Kingsford Stadium said they would now seek legal action over the decision.

"No Kingsford Stadium, has worked tirelessly to prevent the approval of this application," the group said.

"We have shown that the application is contrary to the development plan and our position is supported by the Strategic Planning authority, Aberdeenshire Council and the local community councils. We commissioned an independent review of the economic case which found that AFC had "grossly overestimated" the impact.

"It is our view that Council Officials and Councilors have failed in their duty to apply the law in this case and we will now progress our petition for Judicial Review."

(LM)