Revised plans approved for new and existing AECC sites

Members of Aberdeen City Council’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee also approved revisions made to the planning frameworks following responses made during a six-week period of public consultation.

In March it was confirmed that developer Henry Boot would build the £333 million exhibition centre along with two hotels and a clean energy power station in Dyce.  Keppie Design was appointed as architects for the AECC the following month.

Among the changes to the Rowett North masterplan agreed by the committee today were improvements to the site layout, architectural and landscape design.

The requirement for an underpass and path connecting to the Newhills area has been strengthened within the framework document.

The framework for the existing Bridge of Don site will also include revisions relating to the steps and processes that are required prior to a final decision of the location and provision of a planned Household Waste Recycling Centre.

The masterplans will now inform the future development of both sites – at Rowett North near the city’s airport and at the current AECC complex at Bridge of Don.

Communities, housing and infrastructure committee convener, Councillor Neil Cooney, said: “This represents a major step forward in the plans for a new Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre, which is a key development identified within the City Council’s Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

“I am pleased that so many members of the public, as well as the local business community and other organisations, have taken the opportunity to have their say as part of these consultations.

“This is a very exciting project, and I think it is important to note that no-one as objected in principle to the development of the site for a new AECC.”

Full plans for the development were submitted in August this year, three months after Henry Boot put forward a planning permission in principle application.

It had been feared that the project could be cancelled altogether if the project failed to receive government funding. However new proposals to reduce the public cost of the facility was agreed in March, followed by a £10m grant from Scottish Enterprise in July.

The new AECC is planned to be the centrepiece of a business and leisure-led mixed use development at Rowett North that would provide a four-fold increase on the available exhibition space at the existing AECC and also double the seated entertainment arena to a capacity of 10,000.

The development has been forecast to attract an additional 31,000 business tourists to the North East of Scotland and result in an additional £11m of visitor spend per annum (£113m by 2025).

It is also forecast to deliver an additional £63m net additional GVA (Gross Value Added) to the Scottish economy and create more than 350 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs by year 10 of operation.

Planning applications for both the new and existing sites are due to be considered by the planning development management committee at a later date.