Aberdeen City Council
Town House
Broad Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1FY
Our ref/ lmc_cpd/acc1
Dear Councillor, 20th August 2012
Subject: CALDER PARK COMMUNITY SPORTS COMPLEX
[This letter is issued on behalf of Cove Rangers FC and Aberdeen FC]
We refer to the full City Council meeting scheduled for 22nd August 2012 and in particular the motion being proposed by the Finance and Resources Committee to reject the proposal.
We request that this is reconsidered on the basis of the information that we outline below, alternatively at worst that only one element is granted, that is, an extension of time is granted so that we can carry out any further work required by the Administration and it’s officials, in conjunction with other parties e.g. SFA, Aberdeen Sports Village, etc;
Cove Rangers FC and Aberdeen FC have committed significant time, effort and cost in developing the business plan, facilities specifications and an operational strategy for the Calder Park community sports complex to the satisfaction of ACC officials and the former Administration, and as recently as January 2012 planning consent was approved for a revision of the facilities within the community complex to ensure that what was being built would deliver far greater benefit to the local community than the original plan. You may be aware that the Calder Park development site is zoned only for recreation and leisure and has been designed as part of the master planning exercise with the City Council and the John Muir Group over the past 3 years to be completely integral with the new AFC stadium development, and accordingly if the Calder Park project is stopped, then the new stadium is also killed off - as AFC is unable to implement their detailed planning consent because of stadium parking provisions and a shared second access within Calder Park. i.e. a 'no' vote will halt an estimated £40m reinvestment within the City, prevent the creation of further employment opportunities and have major implications on the future of AFC and Cove Rangers FC.
The main features, benefits and impact of Calder Park are identified below
1. The community sports complex will meet the need for top class sports, fitness and recreational facilities for the South of the City. This is an area with considerable growth planned, both housing and business over the next 15 years.
2. The enhanced sporting facilities will benefit each of the stakeholders i.e. local Kincorth, Altens, Cove communities, Cove Rangers FC and AFC.
3. Community facilities to be provided will be at no cost to the City Council, capital and/ or revenue because the project funding of c. £7m for Calder Park sports complex, along with all operational funding, will be provided via AFC / Cove Rangers FC
4. The provision of training facilities adjacent to the new AFC stadium will provide an opportunity for a step-change enabling AFC to expand and deliver their 'best-in-class' Community Program, together with the benefits this provides to the City [and Shire] Education, Health / Fitness and Drugs programs
5. Calder Park has significant importance to AFC's future youth development program, because bringing through our own top class young players via a youth soccer academy is the only way forward for the Club. The SFA have been aware - and have been very supportive - of our plans for Calder Park from the outset, and their CEO [Stewart Regan] has now clarified the position they believe to be correct for the City of Aberdeen i.e. collaboration between the main stakeholders in the project.
6. The creation of training facilities, adjacent to the new AFC stadium will play a key role in AFC continuing to
attract International games, football and rugby to City - such as Pittodrie has done over the last few years,
but we will be unable to continue to do this because of more stringent UEFA stadium licensing requirements
in the future.
7. AFC currently has a 5-year business plan with the new stadium a central part of this plan. The delivery of a
new Stadium is a vital component to the Club’s future ambitions and vision for the future, and without the
prospect of a new stadium it is very difficult to see a bright future for the Club in the present economic
climate, where continued support from our bankers will prove very challenging to secure.
8. Cove Rangers FC currently operates under national club licensing requirements and they may not be allowed
to participate in the Highland League, and will certainly be denied the opportunity to progress in a
restructured Scottish football setup. A similar scenario exists also for AFC whereby unless AFC redevelops
Pittodrie to meet the required UEFA standards, which is neither fundable or viable (because of land
constraints), or AFC relocates to Loirston, there is a very high risk that AFC would be unable to participate in
European football unless we played such games in either Edinburgh or Glasgow, which is surely an
unacceptable scenario for the City of Aberdeen and/ or AFC supporters.
9. Discussions have taken place between Cove Rangers, AFC and Aberdeen Sports Village with a view to the
community sports complex at Calder Park being operated under the auspices of ASV, with potential
economies of scale available from a shared / proven infrastructure.
10. As previously stated at the outset of this letter, we would hope every Council member can see the merits of
voting in support of the proposal, and at the very least support an extension of time for this development, to
provide an opportunity for Cove Rangers FC and Aberdeen FC to come together with Aberdeen City Council
officials to review the current plans and facilities due to be delivered at Calder Park, with the aim of ensuring
that we collectively deliver the most appropriate sporting and recreational facilities for the main
stakeholders i.e. the local Kincorth / Altens / Cove and Loirston communities, Cove Rangers FC, Aberdeen
City Council and Aberdeen FC.
In view of the above information, we would respectfully ask each City Council member to fully consider the bigger
picture for Aberdeen when allocating their vote on this issue on the 22nd August. We also trust and expect that
there will be a free vote allocated to each Council member such is the overall importance of this development to the
local community, the iconic new stadium and the future of Cove Rangers FC and Aberdeen FC, both of whom add
considerable value and profile to the City in varying ways.
It is entirely inconceivable that the City of Aberdeen could be left without a professional football team participating
in the Scottish game in future, but this is precisely the potential outcome of a 'no’ vote for the continuation of the
Calder Park sports complex development at the full Council meeting this week
It is entirely inconceivable that the City of Aberdeen could be left without a professional football team participating in the Scottish game in future, but this is precisely the potential outcome of a "no" vote for the continuation of the Calder Park sports complex development at the full Council meeting this week.
Yours sincerely
Keith Moorhouse Stewart Milne