Loirston Archives - Page 4 of 4

Standing Room Only At Loirston Public Meeting

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Jan 142011

Dons attract standing room only crowd! Not at a Pittodrie fixture, unfortunately. David Innes calls in from the joint Community Councils’ public meeting on the Loirston stadium plans.

It is a measure of the interest being taken by citizens – mostly residents of the area affected – in the proposed Dons stadium development at Loirston that the Altens Thistle Hotel had to provide additional seating to accommodate those who attended.
Latecomers were left to stand. This is not a problem the Dons are likely to suffer in their current home nor in any new 21000 capacity stadium.

All four community councils for the area united to host the meeting and local councillors attended, in “listening mode”, as they are prohibited from offering opinions on the development before the Council meets to vote on it. They were able, however, to give input on the planning process, being at pains to point out that this was consultation but that did not mean a majority opposing the development could stop it. That sounded very familiar…..

An early show of hands showed that nobody in attendance was in favour of the facility, or perhaps any proponents were not prepared to admit it their support.

Although not always on-topic, questions were asked politely, points were made passionately and despite the general feeling that the development is almost a fait accompli, several contributors urged attendees that it is not too late, that statements for and against the development may be made right up to the time our representatives begin the final debate.

Discussion was along predictable lines – irreversible loss of green belt, traffic and parking issues, light pollution, the financial impact on Pittodrie area businesses on match days, the competition with the AECC for lucrative conferences and, bizarrely, potential noise nuisance from late evening gigs featuring bands “like Black Sabbath”.

More probing issues were also examined – why cannot the facility be shared between the Dons and Cove Rangers? What would the impact be if the Reds and Cove played at home at the same time? How would visiting fans arriving by means other than supporters’ buses be safely segregated from the home support? What about the four distinct natural habitats unlikely to be protected by the guaranteed 50m “no go area” between the stadium area and Loirston Loch?

The plan goes to a Pre-Determination Hearing of the Development Management Sub-Committee on 14 January. 144 objections have been received. Messages of support and representations from interested groups have been gathered. Details are here http://tinyurl.com/65n32af Voice will be in attendance and will give its view on proceedings next week.

Old Susannah’s Dictionary No.18 – Winter Warmer Edition

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Dec 312010

Voice’s Old Susannah tackles more tricky terms with a locally topical taste.

Aberdeen is such a cool city. Make that frozen. For those of you with snowshoes, ice skates or skis who have been able to make it out of your homes, you may have noticed a few minor problems. There may have been one or two late-running buses during rush hour.

A few flights and trains couldn’t run. Nearly two and a half thousand of us have had frozen pipes in our homes, including Old Susannah, who couldn’t find a plumber who wasn’t fully booked up.

Therefore a “thank you very much” to the brains at ‘Wayne’s Drains’ for giving such great help over the telephone; with their guidance I was able to avoid a burst pipe.

For a few days I had no running water which was a great adventure. I do apologise for turning in such a short ‘Dictionary Corner’ this week but I have three days’ worth of washing, cleaning and mopping up awaiting me. Sorry! It was messy and no fun at all clearing the pipes, and if I never see a U-bend or a tub of ‘Plumber’s Mait’ putty again it will be too soon. Still, I was much better off than an acquaintance who had a frozen toilet. He wound up in quite a mess. Speaking of messes…

Local Development Plan: The Local Development Plan, or ‘LDP’ to its friends, sets out the realistic, wonderful future for Aberdeen. There are goals such as doubling the City’s population, building thousands of new homes, and making a ‘community stadium’ on Loirston Loch (NB – Old Susannah cannot as yet find a definition of what a ‘community stadium’ is). Part of this ingenious plan is to always have land available to developers for creating industrial estates – again,

I always thought land was a finite commodity, and that we still had such a thing as ‘greenbelt land’. Apparently the ‘Planners’ don’t happen to agree. As a voter in Aberdeen, you were presumably made aware that your elected representatives would create this plan, only I can’t seem to find anything to back that up as yet.

You could also be forgiven for thinking that the local, elected Community Councils get asked what they’d like to see – or not see – in the plans from the earliest stages. Apparently there is a ‘statutory duty’ for Community Councils to be consulted for matters in their areas. The truth is that the developers (hmm – can we think of any influential local developers?) and the planning chiefs sit down and invent the whole thing without bothering the elected Community Councils – the rationale for this seems to be that the Community Councils get a chance to object later on.

Where would the needy ‘All Energy Aberdeen’ have been had we not spent over £9K on a wine, beer and juice reception

This is a bit like the farmer objecting to the gate after the horse has bolted. Therefore the ‘community stadium’ planners had a budget of our money capped at approximately £250,000 to spend to investigate the pros and cons of the deal. Had they asked the local councils first, they might well have been told to scrap the idea.

But remember, consultants have to make a living, too. It’s quite funny how the pros (like a big, shiny, new, red-glowing building where Aberdeen Football Club can astound 22,000 people with previously unsuspected footballing skills) are made to be realistic and important, and the cons – such as loss of wildlife habitat, urban sprawl, traffic and expense don’t seem nearly as important.

Of course, the community councils get to comment later in the ‘consultation’ process, during which their opinions are given the consideration that they are worth. For Loirston Loch’s destruction, they get a maximum input at the public hearing of 30 minutes per council. I hope they can talk fast. (Old Susannah will be getting up to have her say about the ‘community stadium’ at this public hearing, which is on 14 January at the Town House City Council offices on Broad Street at 09:30. If you’ve nothing better to do than see Old Susannah talking to a brick wall, do come along).

Hospitality: Dictionary definitions for the noun ‘hospitality’ describe it as meaning “… hospitable treatment, reception, or disposition .” Do not let anyone tell you there is any truth in the stereotype that the Scots are not generous and hospitable; Aberdeen City has definitely dispelled that myth. It might have done so using your tax money, but it’s money well spent. It shows the rest of the world how prosperous we are. Secondly, as previously established, our Lord Provost is worried about being embarrassed or looking foolish – which is why he and his wife need a generous clothing allowance and why he wants us to take Sir Ian Wood’s £50 million for the Union Terrace car park.

Let’s look at some of the hospitality we dished out last year. On the one hand, we only spent £129,472.5 pence according to the City. On the other hand, one wonders if it was all necessary. We threw events for councillors and a whole host of special interest groups. Where would the needy ‘All Energy Aberdeen’ have been had we not spent over £9K on a wine, beer and juice reception for it at the AECC? You and I gladly paid for the ‘Aberdeen Sports Person of the Year Awards’ at the Beach Ballroom where some 275 luminati had dinner and drinks for £9,774.25.

Lest we forget, the City just recently had to stump up an extra £64K or so for the international football programme’s going over budget. I can’t really complain, we attracted an amazing array of footballing talent, including Birmingham City. We still don’t have enough money to keep our schools or have children continue with music lessons. We might have to close our parks (or turn them into something profitable). I have no doubt that our elected officials who dutifully attend these drinkfests stick to water and soft drinks; they might wind up useless, sozzled and brain-addled otherwise; thankfully this hasn’t happened as yet.

However, let’s raise a glass to the forty plus drinks events we held last year. Cheers!

107th Dons AGM

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Dec 232010

An AGM in these testing times? Is the Pittodrie Board some sort of masochist collective? David Innes reports on the lack of blood and hair on the walls at the 107th Dons AGM held this week.

Before the meeting’s business got underway, a select few of us agreed that had the board not recruited Brown and Knox last week, the chairman would have been issuing SMG construction hard hats to his top table peers, such is the anger among fans about how this season has slumped from hope to despair.

Out of respect for the new managers who attended, but were not called on to speak, politeness and reason prevailed.

The main business such meetings is formal and, to be honest, dull. Suffice to say, directors Milne, Buchan and Gilbert were re-elected and the current beancounters Deloitte and Touche approved as auditors.

The real meat of the AGM is always in the questions from the floor, and this year’s subjects were predictable, which does not mean dull or uninteresting, given the club’s current position.

Directors are not renowned for being wholly open. Like many politicians, they will tell you what they want to tell you rather than answer the questions posed. There were hints of that, although to be fair, not all the floor questions were questions, rather statements of opinion, which made them hard to answer.

On the new stadium, we were informed that staying at AB24 5QH is a non-starter in that new regulations would see the crowd capacity cut to 12000, the disruption during redevelopment would be considerable and that funding it would be impossible. No mention of the destruction of Loirston’s beauty and tranquillity though.

…along with the forecasts for inflation, there may well have to be a rethink. Or a downsize

The funding rationale for The Aberdeen Voice Arena (aye, OK…) didn’t totally stack up either. Pittodrie’s value in the club accounts is a generous £17m, but this had mysteriously inflated to “around £20m” in the chairman’s review, although this did include, he said, another share issue and a mortgage.

Naming rights, and one can only guess at what corporate horror that will be, letting of spare office capacity and other – unspecified – gains from Loirston developments will net another £15m. Funny, I thought £38m was the last estimate I saw and with The Big Society’s VAT rise coming up in a few days time along with the forecasts for inflation, there may well have to be a rethink. Or a downsize. To 12000 capacity, perhaps?

On fitba matters, The Best Number 6 Ever gave his views, although only once did he admit that we do not have enough experience in the squad. Interesting though his contribution was, his focus was almost exclusively on youth development, which in itself is a very good thing, but will not get us out of the current downhill arse over tit panic in which we’re stuck. His claim that seven of the current first 22 are contributing well to the top team is tenuous – Paton has failed to develop, Megginson and Robertson are loons trying to do a man’s job, and the latter and Ryan Jack could have their careers ruined before they start through the trauma of having to cope with train wreck performances around them week upon week. Hints of new signings in January – also mentioned by Archie Knox when I buttonholed him for a short chat after the meeting – may help us finish somewhere between 7th and 9th (8th?) but did not seem to hold out hope of any sort of breakthrough success for a drifting, dozing club.

Hindsight’s a fabulous musing pastime but doesn’t help us get out of the torpor we’re in. We are where we are. We have a large debt underwritten by two major corporate shareholders with nobody seemingly willing to step forward and offer an alternative to the stagnation this engenders. In the wider context, the SPL is a devalued competition, destined to be won by the bully boys in perpetuity unless someone grows a pair and has a go at their warm fuzzy duopoly.

The 107th AGM suggests that this won’t be Aberdeen FC.

Old Susannah’s Dictionary – No. 14

Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire, Community, Creative Writing, Information, Opinion, Satire and Humour No Responses »

Nov 262010

Voice’s Old Susannah tackles more tricky terms with a locally topical taste.

Get Well Soon

To the 126 Aberdeenshire and 169 Aberdeen City Council employees who are either sick or suspended with pay. Perhaps there is some serious illness doing the rounds in Grampian?

The Telegraph has produced an interactive map showing Council expenditures and expenses throughout the UK; the number of our city and shire’s absentees on the payroll is many times higher than the number to be found anywhere else in Scotland. In fact, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reports Aberdeen City Council is 4th in the whole of the UK for number of staff on long-term sick – with the Shire’s council hot on its heels at No. 6. But when it comes to the average number of sick days lost per year per person, no other council in the country can hold a candle to Aberdeen: 15.5 days each year are lost on average for every one of the council’s employees. The Council makes me feel ill; looks like I’m not alone in that.

Journalism : The free press has been called the ‘Fourth Estate’, referring to its ideal function which is acting as an unofficial fourth branch of government, providing balance and information to ensure freedom of ideas, and thereby keeping a check on government and fostering democracy. A free, non-biased press should provide information for its readers to digest so they can reach their own conclusions.

No less a figure than outgoing Editor Derek Tucker of the Press & Journal recently addressed the ‘Society of Editors’; he complained that journalism courses are not producing the right calibrate of journalists. Tucker said “… very few [of the journalism graduates] possess the street cunning and inquisitiveness that is the hallmark of good journalists and it often appears that English is a second language.”

Old Susannah wonders what would make for a bad newspaper. Would it be headlines created from extremely bad, old-fashioned puns? Gigantic photos camouflaging the lack of journalistic content? Deliberately biased stories favouring the plans of the paper’s larger advertisers? Elevation of minor local news stories above more important world events? Misleading headlines and stories – perhaps (just as an example) painting opponents of City and Shire council plans (like the destruction of UTG) as being organised, ignorant trouble-makers? Deliberate lack of investigative journalism focus on powerful local figures and institutions? Printing stories a day or two after they appeared on the BBC website? Elevating mediocre stories of minor sporting events to gigantic epics to fill space? Lack of spelling and grammatical know-how?

Thankfully, we have had Mr Tucker to save us from such appalling stuff. It is also most unkind that Derek Tucker has been given an unflattering nickname in the ‘Cockney rhyming style’. Obviously he has studiously encouraged ‘street cunning and inquisitiveness’ at the P&J, by ensuring corruption in public and private sectors is uncovered, and by printing such a wide range of opinion and thought in the editorial section.

We wish “Miserable F…” – I mean Derek Tucker – a happy retirement.

There is nothing natural about the City’s attitude to the natural landscape

Landscapes : In my last column, I wrote about a green, leafy landscape painting of Union Terrace Gardens I’d seen. Aberdeen City Council, too, appreciates landscapes; in its ‘Planning and Sustainable Development’ web page it gives the nod to how very important landscapes are.

Believe it or not, landscapes are what we put buildings in. If that is not clear, they have put a picture of a tree in a wide expanse of green field on the web page to illustrate the point – although finding a sole tree in a huge field would be a hard task in this town.

While our City Planners admit on their web page that landscapes ‘..provide the settings of towns and cities and make an important contribution to environmental quality and a sense of place’, they certainly don’t want developers to think the landscape should have to stay as it is. There is nothing natural about the City’s attitude to the natural landscape – anyone (like Mr Milne) can develop almost anything as long as once they destroy the existing natural landscape and wildlife habitats, they make some new landscape in place of the old. As the planners put it,

“… when applying for planning permission for a new development, a landscape scheme for the external spaces around buildings will often need to accompany proposals”.

It is this policy which will allow Mr Milne to destroy Loirston Loch’s natural habitats and beauty – all he needs is a scheme to plant a shrub and have some kind of landscape at some future point. And fair enough – when we are in the community stadium listening to Status Quo or finding out who can do the broad jump further than the next guy, we won’t care what used to be there. The last remnants of wildlife which depend on Loirston as a stopping point to rest, feed and drink will just go to one of the many other lochs and green fields we’ve got, even if the closest is miles away – the extra exercise will probably do the animals good. For far too long the developers have had to jump through hoops to get permission for their schemes (permission which they were always going to get in the first place). Something had to be done to speed things up, and it has…

It is official then – no more boring old-fashioned people interested in the environment, old buildings, history, etc

Modernisation of Planning Process : Scotland, the Shire and the City have been too demanding in the past of the kindly souls who want to turn our fields into housing estates, community stadiums and shopping malls for our benefit. Thankfully, the process for planning is being modernised. To modernise means to update a scheme, law, or way of doing things to bring it in line with how it would have been done in the 1960s. No more ‘unnecessary’ consultations with Community Councils – as Cove and Nigg Community Councils can attest to. In fact, Aberdeen now boasts that

“…we only consult where necessary with the agencies – SNH, SEPA, Transport Scotland, Historic Scotland, …”

It is official then – no more boring old-fashioned people interested in the environment, old buildings, history, etc. will be engaged unless absolutely necessary. Build what you want. SEPA is clearly on board with this thinking already – it had a chance to make an evaluation on the planned ‘community’ stadium’ – and came up with three relatively minor objections relating to drainage and the like. Maybe they think the concrete and parking spaces will help protect the environment. Maybe SEPA is due for a re-naming and re-branding exercise – getting rid of the quaint references to ‘Environment’ and ‘Protection’ would be a good start.

Old Susannah’s Dictionary No. 8

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Oct 152010

Old Susannah gets to grips with more tricky terms.

Firstly, two men here in Aberdeen held down a pet cat so their pitbull could savage it. Let’s find them quickly. Well done to the Council official who wrote to me a while back to say we didn’t have any problems with banned breeds, dog fighting, or dog owners who are encouraging problems. That’s all I say on the matter without becoming less polite except keep an eye on your pets and keep them in at night.

Cheerier note – Old Susannah saw a man with a young child stop in the streets today, pick up someone else’s litter, and put it into a bin. Can we have more like him please?

Dream Job

There are certain industries where there are so many perks and benefits, people are willing to take low paid jobs just to get their foot in the door and be part of the excitement. In the film and television world, people willingly take lower salaries than in other business sectors – in exchange for this they get to go to film premiers, mingle with stars on occasion, and get access to movies. People go into the music business to get free CDs, go to concerts, etc. and therefore happily accept less pay than they might get elsewhere. And so it is with Council staff – they get the honour of walking the corridors of power and even sometimes getting a glimpse of Kate or Stewart – if they’re lucky. Sometimes meetings (of which there is no shortage) have biscuits as well as tea and coffee. You would think in those situations people wouldn’t ask for more money. However, the local Unions have wild ideas.

First, there is some silly notion that men and women doing the same work should be paid the same amount of money. Then some people actually want to be paid overtime for evenings and weekends. Finally, the unions are asking for a pay rise higher than 1.5%! Do these people really think that’s fair? After all, for most of them, that would probably mean an extra candy bar a month.

If the experts nationally are correct, then inflation is running somewhere around 3%, so a 1.5% raise is perfectly fair for these privileged personnel. Of course there is the odd suggestion now and then that the atmosphere in some of the Council departments is less than friendly, but that no doubt is sour grapes. I hope the Unions will realise just how lucky they are to be connected with our fantastic Council – perhaps they should all take a voluntary pay cut? After all, the City does have serious expenses – such as finding some £235,000 to pay for 8 ’European and Diversity’ people.

Sustainable Growth

Sustainability is the watchword in public and private sectors these days; it’s almost as if there was some kind of limit on our resources. Luckily past generations had the foresight to put land aside for ‘wildlife’ and ‘recreation’. Examples of these can be found in Union Terrace Gardens, Loirston Loch and Sunnybank Park. Thanks to those who preserved these lands, we are in a good place for some ‘sustainable growth’. In order for Builders to keep growing their businesses, they have to keep building more things, and that means they need places to build on. In order for the Council to keep growing, it needs more taxes from residents and businesses, so it needs to keep making new housing and new shopping malls and the like. It would hardly do to use the existing buildings that are boarded up – that won’t help the builders. Of course, a system based on continuous building can go on forever – well at least as long as there are green spaces to build on.

“On The Map”

Thank goodness: Scotland is going to be “On The Map”!! Old Susannah’s invitation to RGU to see Sir Ian Wood give Donald Trump an honorary degree got lost in the post. However, my spies told me Sir Ian’s immortal words which were along the line of thanking Mr Trump for his golfing development, which is going to put Scotland on the map for golf! Is it possible Scotland will become a destination for golfers? Watch this space!

Old Susannah’s Dictionary No. 7

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Oct 082010

Old Susannah gets to grips with more tricky terms.

Two bits of good news this week – it seems a possible New Best Friend has been identified for fox batterer Derek Forbe. Enter Mervyn New, 45, operations director for Marine Subsea UK, reported to prosecutors for shooting baby seagull chicks (too young to fly) from his Aberdeen office window. One was killed, the other suffered in a wounded state until put down. Perhaps like Forbes it was a case self-defence for New.

It would have come as something of a surprise to find seabirds nesting near the Aberdeen coast, and hopefully Mr New won’t find the media attention too distressing. After all, office workers are historically known to surf the web, hang around the water cooler and kill things. No doubt New and Forbes can go ‘clubbing’ together sometime. My other cheery news is that Donald Trump is considering running for presidency of the United States. Break out the champagne (but drink responsibly – see below)

RSPB
We wouldn’t have have our poor, hardworking executives falling foul (or is that ‘fowl’?) of silly wildlife laws if it weren’t for organisations like the SSPCA and the RSPB. The RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) is an organisation that exists to stop people like Forbes and New having any fun. It seems the RSPB has just issued a report saying that the situation is serious for wild birds in Scotland. Apparently things called ‘loss of habitation’ (like when parks are turned into car parks) and fragmentation of habitation (like when parks are turned into football stadia) are bad for birds and other wildlife. So there you have it – the less green space, the less wildlife. Yes, that sounds like a very farfetched conclusion. But if we keep going the way we are, then the world will be a safer place for Forbes and New. Birds apparently pollinate wild plants and food crops, and feed off of insects, so they won’t be missed much.

Dine in for Two for £10
Loss of green space and loss of wildlife are as nothing compared to some social ills. Sometimes a problem is so dreadful the temptation is to sweep it under the carpet. Therefore we should give thanks to the SNP for its bravery and sense of priorities: Is it going to tackle pollution? Crime? The economic crisis? Decaying schools and hospitals? Better: it is going to stop supermarket offers such as ‘Dine in for Two for £10’ once and for all. Old Susannah understands they have their best people on this full time (doing field research). Their backbench MSP, Dr Ian McKee, is going to cure Scotland of its alcohol problems in one go by stopping these meal deals. Once the deal is gone, we’ll all go teetotal. There are some people who can handle alcohol, and some who cannot. If we stop everyone from having a glass of wine with their shrimp cocktail, chicken casserole and profiteroles, we’ll have a better society.

You see them — couples, pensioners, working people – racing to grocery stores when these specials are on, behaving like wild animals, grabbing main courses, side dishes, desserts – and a bottle of wine (although non-alcoholic drinks are clearly offered as well). Don’t be fooled into thinking these people are going to eat any of the food. It’s the wine they want. After ‘scoring’, they go home and ‘prepare’ – this ritual might involve plates, cutlery and glasses. Delirious on the wine, they then go to the town centre, fight, commit crime, get sick in the streets, and so on. Apparently a kidney charity says that such deals make taking alcohol seem socially acceptable. You could be forgiven for thinking that 8,000 years’ worth of human civilisation had something to do with the concept that having wine was mainstream, but the SNP says otherwise. Encouraging people to have a glass of wine alongside a three course meal is just wrong.

Cheers

Freedom of Information Act
A law came into being some years ago giving the public the freedom to ask for information; this law was cleverly called the Freedom of Information Act. Since then, many government agencies have worked tirelessly to evade complying with it. Some suspicious people have the nerve not to trust their local governments, and write to request information. Unfortunately this creates work for the Information Officers (who were put in place to deal with requests). Kevin Stewart of Aberdeen City Council has said that many of these requests are ‘absurd’. If anyone knows about absurdity, it may well be Mr Stewart. Such crazy requests might include questions on what happening to the Common Good Fund, why old buildings are occasionally sold for less than market value, how much money is spent on outside consultants, why the previous promise to leave Loirston Park alone is being ignored and so on. One question was asked about the Council taking over Marischal College and spending £80 million in the process. What were the alternatives? Who suggested this? Were proper costing’s done and analysed? After a bit more than the maximum time allowed, the Council replied that the financial data used to select Marischal College as the best way forward was Copyrighted by the consultants who did the study – and could not be released. The word absurd springs to mind again.

Copyright
A copyright is a form of protection which can be used to secure a creator’s rights over their creation. The Harry Potter books and films are copyrighted; ‘Led Zepplin IV’ is copyrighted; ‘Gone with the Wind’ is copyrighted. This stops unauthorised people passing the work off as their own, stealing parts of the work, or making unauthorised use of these creations, particularly for profit. Old Susannah cannot find any form of copyright that would stop Aberdeen City Council from showing its figures for Marischal College expenditure and alternatives – unless the Council is planning a book or a film that is. If anyone out there wants to ask the Council for the figures – or an explanation as to how such figures could possibly be copyrighted – please do send the Council a Freedom of Information Request.

Nigg Residents ‘Stand Free’ over Stadium Plan

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Oct 082010

By Fred Wilkinson.

Residents of the Nigg community to the south of Aberdeen have enjoyed a boost to their campaign in opposition to the proposed Community Stadium at Loirston with around 150 registered objections to the plan being sufficient to warrant a public hearing.

The plan may well still be on course to deliver the Stadium, but many will view this latest turn of events as a victory for local democracy offering a fresh breeze of optimism for a small community facing an uphill struggle to retain the character, identity and beauty of their local environment.

According to local sources it has not been easy to muster the time and energy, and the levels of commitment, communication, co-ordination and organisation required to oppose the planned development.

Currently, there are at least 4 other proposals for major developments which will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the Nigg/Loirston area.

Redmoss resident of 36 years Gene Abel also tells of a more sinister obstacle to the campaign.

“Back in August, we put up posters throughout the area to promote awareness of the consultation procedure with details of the closing date for objections, and where to send these. This was simply to provide much needed information that the residents could choose whether or not to act upon

“However, over a single night, these all appeared to have been systematically removed – apart from two in my own garden.

“Knowing how and where the posters were placed, I can tell you that someone went to extraordinary lengths to remove them”

Additionally, they have been branded a ‘vocal minority’ and accused of ‘nimbyism’ in the local press and their campaign compared to totally unrelated projects in an apparent attempt to discredit what has been a commendable effort on their part.

many of us wonder who in their right mind would want to destroy such an asset and a precious asset not only for Nigg, but for the whole city

Whatever view one may hold regarding the Community Stadium proposal, surely to accuse the Nigg Community of nimbyism is a cheap shot at an easy target, and takes no account of the fact that those in opposition to the plan have raised valid concerns and reasoned arguments in support of their objections. If such accusations continue to be levelled at the local community, it raises the question, who has a valid and justifiable right to disagree with a particular development?

Should a proposed change affect an area in which you live, work, travel, relax, then it seems your opposition can apparently be dismissed as ‘nimbyism’.

If however you question the same development, despite the fact you and your locality are not affected, simply because you believe that it is wrong or ill conceived, then expect charges from the very same quarters that you are interfering in the affairs of others.

There are numerous recent examples of such detractions – Annie Lennox’s objections to the flawed proposals for UTG and Green MP Caroline Lucas’ support for the Tripping Up Trump campaign being the most prominent examples.

Mr Abel states in response to charges of nimbyism:

“The bottom line is that this is a beautiful area. That is due in no small way to the loch and the open green space which many residents actively enjoy

“Whether this is about a football stadium, or any other kind of development, many of us wonder who in their right mind would want to destroy such an asset and a precious asset not only for Nigg, but for the whole city.

Strong opposition to the Community Stadium (the New Home of Aberdeen F.C.as referred to by the Council) has also come from a less geographically defined source – the Aberdeen FC fans themselves.

According to the results of a consultation convened by the AFC trust in May 2009, out of 1140 responses, 81.2% favoured Kings Links as the location of the new stadium. 62.8% stated they would attend less matches if Loirston was chosen and 84.1% felt that the club should have consulted them about the preferred location.

Resignation, whilst infinitely more manageable than opposition, does not equate with support.

In view of the fact that the total number of responses is the equivalent of around 10% of the average attendance at Pittodrie, this has to be seen to be a significant figure to the degree that it could hardly be doubted as a very good representation of the whole fan base.

The mind boggles as to how any organisation, worthy of being described as a business, can justify a course of action favoured by less than 18% of their regular customers, a business whose very existence relies upon this very group. Few analysts would disagree that alienating this group would have a significantly negative impact on the future prospects of the organisation.

One has to conclude then, if indeed only a vocal minority are pulling the strings, there has surely been a phenomenal shift in the opinion of the fans in a relatively short period.

Or perhaps not. When one considers the psyche of a typical diehard football fan, there is perhaps less change than may be immediately apparent.

To be a committed supporter of Aberdeen FC, or any other club for that matter, is not so much a lifestyle choice as a deep seated biological drive – more an addiction than a mere habit. It is not a matter of choice, but of belief and belonging.

Therefore, love it or loathe it, whether Loirston, the Links, Lumphanan or Laurencekirk, the true fans will be there. Could this be the known factor at the heart of the apparent dismissal of Aberdeen fans’ response to the 2009 consultation?

In any case it appears they are currently not being consulted in any meaningful way and on the evidence of online discussions in fans forums, opposition and resentment over the Loirston proposal has been for the most part given way to a sense of resignation.

This mass resignation may also explain the pitiful response to the “No to Aberdeen FC’s Loirston Loch Community Stadium” petition, and the poor response to the “Don’t Move Aberdeen FC to Loirston Loch” Facebook page

But take note. Resignation, whilst infinitely more manageable than opposition, does not equate with support.

Nevertheless in their determination to ‘stand free’, the residents of Nigg have at least bought some time and an opportunity to have their arguments heard, and perhaps time and opportunity for others to consider how free or compromised is their own stand on the issues.

The question remains whether there is time and scope for an alternative or amended plan which, if it acknowledges the needs and desires of the very people whose lives it impacts upon, may find a more favourable environment in which to progress, and perhaps even gain momentum.

In Aberdeen Voice next week, read the views of Craig Stewart – the editor of the Aberdeen-Mad fans’ website. In the meantime, feel free to add your own view in the comments box below. All comments will be subject to moderation.

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