Aberdeen's £300m convention centre clears final hurdle                                 

The proposed £333 million for the replacement Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) has been given the final approval from Aberdeen City Council.

The centre, which will include a 200-room hotel and have four times more exhibition space than the current facility, can now begin construction and is expected to be ready by late 2018.

Aberdeen's meeting industry has been hit by the decline in oil prices, with hotels suffering drops across all profit indicators - but Visit Aberdeen is confident developments such as AECC will pull it back into prosperity.

Aberdeen City Council Leader, Councillor Jenny Laing, said: "This development forms a key part of this council's Strategic Infrastructure Plan (SIP) and will allow the city to attract bigger concert names and more major international events and conferences to the north-east region.

"Investment in this type of infrastructure project is also an important part of the emerging regional economic strategy to safeguard the future prosperity of the north east area. It is a clear statement that Aberdeen remains open for business and very much open to new private investment.”

The new facility will replace the current AECC, now 30 years old, at the Bridge of Don. It's forecast to bring an additional £11m in visitor spend to the economy.

The AECC will be built by Aberdeen City Council's development partner Henry Boot Developments.