This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Aberdeen gets £7m for sports facility
07/12/2006
A new regional sports facility in the north east has received £7 million of funding, it was announced today.
sportscotland has agreed to commit up to £7 million towards the £24.5 million Grampian Regional Sports Facility at the Chris Anderson Stadium Project in Aberdeen, which includes £2 million of sportscotland Lottery funding.
The project - part of the Executive's National Regional Sports Facilities Strategy - will provide an indoor athletics training facility, indoor synthetic grass pitch, nine courts sports hall, squash courts, fitness suite, sports performance lab and ancillary accommodation.
Sportscotland had originally allocated £5 million to the project. Following a detailed application at Stage 2, it has now agreed to increase that award up to £7 million.
The development is being taken forward by Aberdeen City Council, in partnership with Aberdeen University, each investing £8.7 million.
It is the second project to receive stage two approval under the Executive's £50 million National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy, which includes £21.2 million of sportscotland Lottery funding.
Sports Minister Patricia Ferguson said:
"The Grampian Regional Sports Facility, will be an excellent community resource for people in Aberdeen and the north east.
"It will also help nurture our young sports stars and encourage wider participation in sport and physical activity, and will allow the north east to realise its sporting ambitions."
Julie Bracewell OBE, Chair of sportscotland, said:
"Quality accessible facilities are vital if sport is to thrive in Scotland. There need to be the right quality and mix of facilities across the country which meets national, regional and local requirements, helping to develop future successful sporting generations.
"We are delighted to give the Grampian Regional Sports Facility stage two approval. I am sure it will play a key role in driving an increase in participation and supporting our elite athletes and those with the aspiration to compete at a higher level, in particular, complementing the work of the Grampian Area Institute of Sport."
Councillor Neil Fletcher, convener of Aberdeen City Council's Resources Management Committee, warmly welcomed the announcement. He said:
"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 for 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 Aberdeen City Council and sportscotland."
Background:
The aim of the Executive's National and Regional Sports Facilities Strategy is to develop a network of multi-sport facilities across Scotland (covering the Area Institute Network), including a national indoor arena and two versatile municipal stadia.
This is second project to receive stage two consent following Toryglen, which was granted approval in July. The remaining eight projects are located in Falkirk, Stirling, Edinburgh, Glasgow and North Lanarkshire.