Court dates set for new Aberdeen FC Kingsford stadium review

Court dates have been set as part of a judicial review into Aberdeen FC's plans for a new stadium.

The £50m development includes the creation of a 20,000-seater ground at Kingsford, near Westhill.

Plans were put on hold last October but the council approved them in January.

A procedural hearing for the review - sought by The No Kingsford Stadium (NKS) group - has been fixed for 8 November, with a substantive hearing on 19 December.

Diane Reid, of the No Kingsford Stadium (NKS) group which objects to the proposals, said: "We believe Aberdeen City Council has failed in its duty to properly determine this application.

"We are confident that the court process will bring independent and impartial scrutiny to the decision and that we have a real prospect of success."

'Unnecessary process'

Kingsford project director Raymond Edgar said: "This is simply the next step in a costly and unnecessary legal process which, ultimately, will only cause delays to our much-needed community sports hub and training facilities.

"It's frustrating for everyone involved, including the majority of people in the region who support the project, but it's also damaging to the club, Aberdeen City Council and the wider region's reputation for progress and development."

An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: "It would be inappropriate to comment with a judicial review ongoing."

Aberdeen FC believes the new facilities are vital to its future, but objectors say the stadium should be located elsewhere.

The plans were not called in by the Scottish government.

The community sports hub and football training facilities are due to be completed in Summer 2019, with the stadium set to be open for the 2021/22 season.