Meadowbank: 'Final whistle has not blown yet on stadium'

THE ink is hardly dry on the proposal to end years of wrangling over the future of Meadowbank and already the sniping from the sidelines has started.

It appears that anyone who, last week, was under the impression the final whistle had at last been blown, had better settle themselves down for extra time, and perhaps even the possibility of penalties.

It becomes clearer by the day that the revamp of Meadowbank is no longer viewed by some as a unique opportunity to begin to change the sporting landscape of the city, but as a football to be kicked around for political ends.

Right from the start, the whole process has been slowed down by narrow mindedness and the pursuit of selfish local interest by groups that appear to have ignored the wider picture.

After much deliberation and extensive consultation, last Thursday the council appeared to have come up with a solution that should have provided an acceptable compromise – a scaled-down version of the stadium, the retention of sports facilities on site and the release of land to pay for the creation of new facilities.

To achieve the latter it is essential that the council sells off 8.5 acres of the site for housing, to raise around £17 million required for part-funding a new track and stadium on the existing site.

But the idea of new homes being built on any part of Meadowbank already appears to have raised hackles.

The prospect of another Caltongate saga is looming, with those opposed to the sale announcing plans to swamp the council with protests. It is hard to understand objections to a residential development when Meadowbank is flanked on two sides by tenements.

Three years ago, the former Labour council launched a £100m blueprint for future sports provision in the Capital. It may seem pie in the sky in the current financial climate, but few could argue that for a city of its size and prestige, Edinburgh is badly off for large-scale sports facilities.

When Meadowbank and the Commonwealth Pool close to allow work to take place, it will be reduced to offering localised community facilities. If certain pressure groups cannot be persuaded to remove their blinkers surrounding Meadowbank, and the pivotal role it has to play, then future plans to deliver even a fraction of what was proposed will be put at risk.

Certainly when detailed plans for the redevelopment of the site are revealed, they should be subjected to full scrutiny – and at that point, those who object will have the opportunity to make their views known.

But those people already determined to oppose no matter what, can hardly be said to be objective. They certainly can't claim to have the best interests of the city at heart.