Meadowbank Velodrome facing wrecker's ball

Meadowbank's Velodrome in use during the 1986 Commonwealth Games (Tony Feder/ALLSPORT/Getty)

At a time when Scotland has some of the world’s highest rates of coronary heart disease, you might imagine Scottish politicians would fight tooth and nail to protect the nation’s sporting facilities from the grasp of developers. Apparently not. 

Edinburgh Council has voted to downsize the city’s Meadowbank Stadium and sell residual land to housing developers. In doing the complex’s Velodrome will disappear altogether while the main stadium, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 Commonwealth Games, will be reduced from a 16,000 to a 5,000 spectator arena.

Scottish Cycling has issued a statement expressing its disappointment at the loss of the Velodrome which, its says: “has played a significant part in the history of the sport in this country and has an established record of producing world class sportsmen and women.”

However its statement goes on to acknowledge the Council’s commitment to developing  an alternative track cycling facility in the city. Meanwhile Edinburgh residents and politicians from parties opposed to the plan, have joined a Save Meadowbank campaign which aims to persuade the Council to reverse its decision.

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