Meadowbank campaigners take their fight to Holyrood

CAMPAIGNERS fighting the proposed demolition of Edinburgh's Meadowbank Stadium are to take their fight to Holyrood.

They have lodged a petition with the Scottish Parliament calling for an explanation of how the promise of a lasting legacy for grassroots sport from the 2014 Commonwealth Games fits with plans to scrap many of the facilities available at Meadowbank.

They are urging the Scottish Government to provide enough funding to make sure the existing range and level of sports provision is not reduced.

Councillors voted in March to bulldoze the existing Meadowbank stadium and velodrome and sell a third of the site to pay for a new £25 million sports centre, though a detailed scheme has been delayed by the financial crisis.

The proposals would see a new 5000-capacity stadium, new running track and indoor sports complex built on the eastern part of the site, with the western part earmarked for hundreds of homes.

However, campaigners say the plans include no provision for all-weather football pitches, a reduction from 19 indoor sports halls to seven, no throwing area and no dedicated gymnastics hall.

Chris Gallacher, who submitted the petition on behalf of the Save Meadowbank Campaign, said if the Scottish Government was serious about ensuring a positive legacy from the 2014 Games – not just in Glasgow but throughout Scotland – it had to make sure facilities increased rather than decreased, as was proposed at Meadowbank.

He said: "Currently, the Government's financial commitment to sports facilities provision outside of Glasgow does not correlate with their stated aspirations for the nation as a whole. The aspirations are good ones, but if they are to be of any use, they must be matched by proper funding."

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "Funding the Meadowbank Sports Centre is a matter for Edinburgh City Council, which we understand is in discussion with Cycling Scotland about a track facility in the city."

A city council spokesman said maintaining the existing Meadowbank over the long-term would be expensive and would not provide a high enough standard of sports facilities for the city.

He said: "Retaining the whole site would also leave a very large bill for the council tax payer so unless funding becomes available from elsewhere, we must sell some land to fund the development.

"We want to develop a modern facility that is far better than the one that currently exists and that satisfies Scotland's sports governing bodies.

"Cycling will move elsewhere in the city and we will make every effort to help the few who use the throwing practise area to find alternative training areas."