A new consultation is to be held for the Kingsford Stadium proposals after new information and documents have been submitted by Aberdeen FC.

The consultation, which will begin during the course of next week, will involve re-notification of neighbours, re-advertising the application consulting the relevant external bodies and council services. It should be emphasised the consultation pertains to the new information received.

The closing date for written representations to be submitted to the council will be 12 December 2017.

Due to the consultation on the new information, it will be necessary to hold a further pre-determination hearing, the purpose of which will be to focus on the new information submitted by Aberdeen FC. The date for the hearing has been provisionally agreed for 17 January 2018. It should be emphasised the pre-determination hearing would focus on the new information received.

The aim is for the planning application to be determined as soon as practicable, which could be by a special meeting of Aberdeen City Council, subject to the agreement of the Lord Provost.

As the planning application remains live, the City Council cannot discuss the detail of it, including the new information and documents received.

In response to the update from Aberdeen City Council, Raymond Edgar, project director for Kingsford, said: “While we had been hoping for a decision on our application before Christmas, we now have an agreed timetable with the Council which will allow the proposals to be fully considered by Councillors in January.

“Following the deferral in October, we have worked with the Council planning officers to provide further reassurance that the Club’s approach to selecting Kingsford complies with legal requirements. In addition, we have undeniably demonstrated there are no other suitable, available and sequentially preferable sites within the city which could accommodate the development. In particular, we believe we have, once and for all, demonstrated that the proposals cannot be delivered at either King’s Links or Loirston.

“As requested by the Council’s economic development team, we have also provided further analysis which shows that the economic benefits of the development to the region are even greater than previously estimated.

“While the Club recognises that the delay has been frustrating for all those who continue to back our plans, it’s vital that we have the best chance of securing the right decision for the Club, the City, the region, our fans and the thousands of individuals from all communities who benefit from the activities of the Trust.”

“The additional information, contained in a supporting statement and appendices, will now be the subject of consultation. Councillors will be given an opportunity to ask questions on the additional information at a second pre-determination hearing in January, so that they will have all the information which they require to enable the application to be determined before the end of January.“