The University of Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council today (Thursday, December 7) welcomed the announcement by Patricia Ferguson, Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport, that £7 million will be awarded by sportscotland to create a state-of-the-art sports centre that will catapult the North of Scotland onto the world stage in the inclusive provision of sport and leisure facilities for all.
The new £23million sports centre will provide a first-class facility the people of Aberdeen and the wider region. The centre will encourage the community, regardless of their level of fitness, to become more involved in sport.
Councillor Neil Fletcher, convener of Aberdeen City Council's Resources Management Committee, warmly welcomed the announcement.
"This is excellent news and we are absolutely delighted that sportscotland is also committed to bringing state of the art sports facilities to Aberdeen, and this is a positive indication that the vision of a world-class sporting venue will be realised in the near future.
"Aberdeen City Council is pleased to be working in partnership with the University of Aberdeen and sportscotland and we hope this will serve as a template for other joint projects.
"Today's announcement cements that partnership and reinforces that together we are committed to achieving results for the benefit of local people."
David Beattie, Director of Sports Development at the University of Aberdeen, said he was delighted that the project had secured the vital sportscotland funding.
He said: “The new facility will allow a higher profile to be given to sport and training, delivered in state-of-the-art facilities.
“Access to wide-ranging, high quality sporting facilities is an increasing priority with students worldwide and we want to highlight the benefits of a modern sports centre which will be open to anyone of any age and ability in the local community. We look forward to developing the next stage of the scheme with our partners.”
Council Leader Councillor Kate Dean added: "This is a fantastic boost that will help us put the City and Shire on the sporting map, while encouraging regional and national competition into the North-east and further enhancing quality of life for the people who live and work here."
Partners Aberdeen City Council and the University of Aberdeen have already committed £8million each towards the first phase of this ambitious project. A significant part of the funding package has been secured with today's announcement that sportscotland will contribute £7million of funding to ensure the centre is a truly outstanding facility serving a wide spectrum of the community.
The new complex is being developed to encourage local people and sports clubs within Aberdeen and the wider region to improve their levels of health and fitness. People of all ages and abilities in communities across the entire region and, in particular, the neighbouring community, will benefit from the new resource.
The facility will allow the North of Scotland to play a role in the run up to London 2012 and future Commonwealth Games. It will also be a training ground of national standard for North of Scotland’s elite athletes and sports stars of the future to achieve their full potential and compete at the highest level.
The purpose-built centre on the site of the Chris Anderson stadium will include:
• One of the largest indoor synthetic pitches in the UK
• Indoor and outdoor athletics training facilities – including track, throwing and jumping areas
• Large multi-sport games hall
• Fitness suite and performance gym
• Water-based floodlit hockey pitch
• Sports performance and science lab
• Squash courts
• Indoor and outdoor spectator facilities
• Café and crèche
The current facilities at the University of Aberdeen date from the 1930s and 1960s and were designed to cater for a student population a third of what it is today.
Angus Donaldson, the University’s Director of Estates, added: “This is another positive development by the Institution and is part of a £228million development of our campus which will take place over the next 10 years.
“Aberdeen is rated as one of the most desirable cities in the UK in which to live and work and, if we are to maintain this vibrant economy, we must provide facilities to match, and improve on, the best in the country.”
Award-winning architects Reiach and Hall have designed the three-storey building and have strived to make plans as environmentally friendly as possible, making the most of natural light. The facility will also run on “green” power being supplied from a local combined heat and power plant.
James Grimley, Reiach and Hall Architects, said: “The design team visited sports facilities across the UK and Europe to assess the key ingredients of internationally successful sports buildings. Ample amounts of carefully controlled daylight, a coordinated design of sports spaces, structure and services, and clearly defined circulation routes were identified as essential features for the design of the building.
The £23million Aberdeen proposal was developed through consultation with a wide range of groups and organisations including local politicians, councillors and sports clubs.
The project plans for the Aberdeen Regional Sports Facility have just been lodged with Aberdeen City Council. If all goes to plan, construction of the first phase is expected to start in early summer 2007 with early 2009 the current target for completion.