Aberdeen City Council’s communities, housing and infrastructure committee discussed the plans for Nigg Bay at their meeting yesterday which were first revealed in 2012 by Aberdeen Harbour Board.

A December 2013 study found that the project, which is aiming to begin in 2017 and be completed by 2021, could increase Aberdeen’s port-related economy from £1.5 billion per year to £2bn in 20 years’ time.

New images released in May this year show how a liner could be accommodated in the harbour, opening up the potential to bring more visitors to the north-east.

It is hoped that the expansion could allow for deeper berths to bring cruise liners and the decommissioning of oil rigs to the city.

A development framework for Nigg Bay, Altens and East Tullos, prepared by Aberdeen Harbour Board, Scottish Enterprise and Aberdeen City Council, outlines plans to regenerate the wider area including improving existing roads in Nigg.

A series of consultation events have already been held by planning and design company Barton Willmore.

Committee convener, Labour councillor Neil Cooney, called the plans “the most exciting thing to happen to Aberdeen in a generation” and urged people to make their views known.

He said: “It’s a key growth area of the city’s economy. It will create jobs and sustain development as we move away from oil.”

A six-week consultation on the proposals will be held in the coming two months.