Meadowbank Stadium
The big issue of the moment locally seems to be Meadowbank Stadium.
Its a place close to my heart. I watched Ian Stewart and Lachie Stewart win gold medals for Scotland in the Commonwealth games in 1970. I still remember standing up and screaming my 9 year old heart our as they hit the home straight.
I ran there myself as a young lad competing both for Pitreave Athletic Club and in the East of Scotland championships.
My children still use the facilities. I supported the setting up of the “house facility”. If there was a way to keep it I would because its part of my story.
But I want Edinburgh to have the best possible facilities and rebuilding on the site would not give us that. And if we build on the site, or even refurbish, we’ ll be without any facilities for a long time, too long.
The Truth is -
• There’s not enough space to re-build at Meadowbank
• The Council will build a new modern stadium and sports centre in Sighthill that will be publicly owned and run
• Sighthill will be complete and open before Meadowbank closes
• Sighthill Stadium will be right on the tram – 15 minutes from Leith Walk
• A new local sports facility for east Edinburgh will be built at Meadowbank
• We are consulting local people on what they want in their new sports centre
• We plan to have this complete and open before old Meadowbank closes
• The site will then be re-developed with a new public square, shops, workplaces, and homes (including affordable homes) as well as the publicly owned and run sports centre
• The proceeds from this will help pay for Sighthill and the “new Meadowbank”
• The proceeds will also help pay to re-furbish the Commonwealth Pool
Some say simply “Save Meadowbank”. That's a valid view but the consequence would be that our sports stars of tomorrow would have less than the rest and less than they deserve.
If someone can show me a costed plan for developing the Meadowbank site with income sources identified that will provide seamless access to facilities, a stadium that is to the standards that will attract international class sporting events, provide the cash we need also for the Royal Commonwealth Pool and increase the number of facilities in the city, I will listen. So far all I have heard what folk don’t want and that's fine, But we need more than that to make any decision about the future of sport in this city.
Its a place close to my heart. I watched Ian Stewart and Lachie Stewart win gold medals for Scotland in the Commonwealth games in 1970. I still remember standing up and screaming my 9 year old heart our as they hit the home straight.
I ran there myself as a young lad competing both for Pitreave Athletic Club and in the East of Scotland championships.
My children still use the facilities. I supported the setting up of the “house facility”. If there was a way to keep it I would because its part of my story.
But I want Edinburgh to have the best possible facilities and rebuilding on the site would not give us that. And if we build on the site, or even refurbish, we’ ll be without any facilities for a long time, too long.
The Truth is -
• There’s not enough space to re-build at Meadowbank
• The Council will build a new modern stadium and sports centre in Sighthill that will be publicly owned and run
• Sighthill will be complete and open before Meadowbank closes
• Sighthill Stadium will be right on the tram – 15 minutes from Leith Walk
• A new local sports facility for east Edinburgh will be built at Meadowbank
• We are consulting local people on what they want in their new sports centre
• We plan to have this complete and open before old Meadowbank closes
• The site will then be re-developed with a new public square, shops, workplaces, and homes (including affordable homes) as well as the publicly owned and run sports centre
• The proceeds from this will help pay for Sighthill and the “new Meadowbank”
• The proceeds will also help pay to re-furbish the Commonwealth Pool
Some say simply “Save Meadowbank”. That's a valid view but the consequence would be that our sports stars of tomorrow would have less than the rest and less than they deserve.
If someone can show me a costed plan for developing the Meadowbank site with income sources identified that will provide seamless access to facilities, a stadium that is to the standards that will attract international class sporting events, provide the cash we need also for the Royal Commonwealth Pool and increase the number of facilities in the city, I will listen. So far all I have heard what folk don’t want and that's fine, But we need more than that to make any decision about the future of sport in this city.
Labels: Commonwealth Pool, Sighthill
posted by Councillor Ewan Aitken at
2:15 pm
