Detailed designs for the planned £23 million regional sports centre in Aberdeen were approved unanimously by the city council today.
Planning committee members passed the University of Aberdeen's planning application unanimously – subject to details of materials and colours to be used in the construction coming back to the committee for final approval.
The Linksfield scheme, which was recommended for approval by city planners, is being led by the University of Aberdeen in partnership with Aberdeen City Council.
Sportscotland has awarded £7 million for the project and the city council and the university are each investing £8 million.
Outline consent was granted in March last year, leaving today's planning committee meeting to consider only the final design and site landscaping.
The new sports facility will include an indoor football pitch and indoor athletics with spectator seating, along with a sports centre, a café, a creche, offices and changing facilities.
The 5.25-hectare council-owned site at Linksfield Road is currently home to the Chris Anderson stadium, an all-weather synthetic hockey pitch, a grassed football pitch, car parking and open space.
The building will be constructed on the site of the existing spectator stand, car park and hockey pitch, five metres closer to flats on Linksfield Gardens than was shown at the outline planning stage. It will cover 18,430 sq metres, with the café taking up 200 sq metres.
The site will also accommodate outdoor athletics facilities and a hockey pitch, with car parking accessible from Linksfield Road and Regent Walk.
The report to today's committee meeting from the city council's Head of Planning and Infrastructure, Margaret Bochel, said the building's east elevation was planned to be clad with polycarbonate panels and the other walls clad with profiled metal sheeting in colours ranging from light grey to dark green. Planning committee members called for examples of the materials, and the propose colours, to be brought back to the committee for approval.
Dr Bochel's report added: "Although the position of the western elevation of the building has moved five metres closer to the facing flats on the Linksfield Gardens than the position as shown at the outline planning stage, a separation distance of 24 metres would be provided. Although significant and unfortunate, it is considered that the reduction in separation distance now proposed would not amount to a fatal change that would warrant refusal of the development.
"It is also considered that the impact of the building could be further mitigated by careful use of cladding materials and colours of wall finish, which have yet to be agreed to the satisfaction of the planning authority.
"It is considered that the design and appearance of the proposed building would not result in detriment to the visual amenity of the area as the structure would not affect any significant public views and would largely be screened by surrounding buildings from public vantage points."
Construction could start in late summer this year and the sports centre could be completed early in 2009.