The stadium had been scheduled for completion by 2023, but in the midst of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the club confirmed that the project had been put on hiatus,[2] and in 2021 alternative designs at the city's beachfront close to Pittodrie were released.

The severe disruption to the club's activities, and the potential to wipe out some of the debt by selling the club-owned land for redevelopment, moreover, made a new stadium the only viable option.

[9] Approval for the project could have triggered consent for other property developers who had outline plans for this particular area for a number of years, but until then had been refused due to the green belt status.

[18] In August 2014, Stewart Milne announced that because of the plans being rejected by the current Aberdeen City Council administration, the training facilities and new stadium would be built on two separate sites.

[21] The club had proposed moving to the nearby site of Bellfield (immediately south of Kingswells) in 2003, but this was dropped due to local opposition and the withdrawal of possible government funding.

[30] Shortly after the hold announcement, American businessman Tom Crotty invested £775,000 into the project after discussions with former player Bobby Clark (a long time resident of the United States).

[31] Revised plans for the Kingsford project were approved by Aberdeen City Council on 29 January 2018,[32] and the Scottish Government decided that the application did not require scrutiny at a national level.

[37] Construction work at Kingsford was commenced on 3 July 2018, with ceremonial digging duties performed by club chairman Stewart Milne and manager Derek McInnes.

[38][1][39] In August 2019, the club confirmed that the training facility would be named Cormack Park due to the contribution made to the project by then-vice chairman Dave Cormack;[40] supporters were invited to vote for their favourite past players whose names would be used for each of the six pitches at the complex[41] – those chosen were Neale Cooper, Joe Harper, Eoin Jess, Jim Leighton, Willie Miller and Teddy Scott.

[47] Initially proposed for a site currently occupied by a hotel and the Transition Extreme sports venue south of the Beach Ballroom,[48][49][50] seven months later more detailed design information was released, with the stadium now on a site further north on a grass pitch used for cricket and baseball and immediately adjacent to the existing Linx Ice Arena and leisure centre, all of which would be replaced nearby as part of a wider regeneration plan for the area.