Neighbours cry foul as park is lost to stadium

THE Capital's planned multi- million pound athletics and rugby stadium has sparked protests from residents angry it will be built on their only green space.

Community leaders said the development would "wreck" the neighbourhood and leave young people in Sighthill out in the cold.

They said youngsters would have to pay to play on pitches at the new sports centre when they can use ones on the existing park for free. There are also concerns a skatepark on the site could be axed.

Council leaders say the stadium is part of one of Scotland's biggest regeneration programmes, which will "transform" the Sighthill area.

High-rise flats are to be demolished and replaced with new homes. The centrepiece of the development will be the stadium, which the council says will be "international class".

But community groups in Sighthill said they fear people living in the area will suffer once building begins in January 2009.

Ron Cairns, chairman of the Sighthill, Broomhouse and Parkhead Community Council, said: "A lot of young people use the park and play football there.

"The council are talking a lot about the great facilities, but they won't be so great for people around here.

"The pitch that's there now is free to use at night but the new one will need to be booked and it will cost money. Kids around here can't afford that.

"There's not a bit of green in this whole area apart from that park. If it goes, there's nothing. They wouldn't let that happen to other areas, so why should they here?

"It's going to have a real impact on the area and the only impact as far as we can see is negative. They're tearing communities apart, not building them."

Mr Cairns said there are also fears the neighbourhood will be swamped by visitors to the stadium parking outside their homes.

The existing proposals contain parking space for only 376 cars, when the stadium has a capacity for crowds of 6000, rising to 10,000 for special events.

Keith Bell, secretary of the community council, said: "At the moment, the negatives outweigh the positives. The loss of green space is a major worry for residents, as is the loss of some of the free facilities.

"If the council are prepared to talk with us, rather than to us, and to discuss the problems and come up with realistic solutions to them, then we will be happy to work with them.

"Hopefully then we might be able to turn it around and make the positives outweigh the negatives."

Councillor Donald Anderson, the city's culture and sport leader, strongly defended the council's overall plans for the area.

He said: "This is part of one of the biggest regeneration projects in Scotland at the moment because it involved the demolition of the high-rise flats and their replacement with family homes, as well as the creation of this sports centre. It will result in Sighthill becoming one of the most improved areas in Scotland.

"We will look at the provision for a kick-pitch for the local area and we want to make sure the football club based there is either relocated on site or moved to improved facilities.

"Green space will be built into the development and we will look at the issue of kids having somewhere to have a kick-about. In my view, that is something we have to achieve."

Cllr Anderson added that the 376 parking spaces are seen as sufficient because the area will be served by the tram network.