Scottish Premiership side Aberdeen "received backing" from rivals Celtic and Heart of Midlothian over its plans for a new £50M ($64.9M) stadium and training facility, according to the Scotland DAILY RECORD. The club is "hopeful of getting the nod from Aberdeenshire Council for the development," in the Kingsford area, when it goes to the vote in October. Aberdeen City Council had asked "whether there was a need for the stadium and training ground to be located on the same site." Aberdeen responded with a report which shows it has "the support of Celtic and Hearts for the co-location proposal." The report said that the Glasgow and Edinburgh clubs "would have preferred a co-location had it been possible at their home grounds," with Aberdeen CEO Duncan Fraser receiving letters from Celtic CEO Peter Lawwell and Hearts Chair Ann Budge "confirming those points" (DAILY RECORD, 8/7). In London, Ben Palmer reported Aberdeen believes that building a separate training ground away from its new stadium would cost an extra £6.3M ($8.2M). A report written by agents managing the stadium construction proposal on behalf of Aberdeen said, "This [£6.3 million] is not a figure the club can realistically be expected to accommodate" (LONDON TIMES, 8/8). The BBC reported a pre-determination hearing will take place on Sept. 13 at Aberdeen Town House. It will "give people who have written in about the application a chance to speak about it directly" to city councilors. Aberdeen said that if planning permission is granted in October, it could still have the stadium completed in '20 (BBC, 8/7).
