New stadium 'dead in the water'

Plans for a new stadium at Sighthill were drawn up earlier this year

Campaigners have called on the new-look Edinburgh Council not to sell any part of Meadowbank Stadium for housing.

It follows a statement by the council's new planning convener Jim Lowrie who said plans for a new stadium at Sighthill were "dead in the water".

But he added: "A lot will depend on how much we can generate from the sale of land at Meadowbank".

"The previous council failed to consult properly with their plans", said senior athletics coach Bill Walker.

He added: "I hope the new council will learn from these failings and provide the Edinburgh public with what they want.

"A working group is being set up to consider all options for the Meadowbank site.

"There are no restrictions so we should start from the premise that the full site can be retained for sports use."

Luxury flats

Fellow campaigner Kevin Connor agreed. "Meadowbank Stadium is an Edinburgh landmark that is much used and much loved.

"Most people were shocked at the prospect of it being turned into luxury flats. There was overwhelming public opposition to those plans.

"The Save Meadowbank campaign has kept a low profile while the new council has settled in. Our position is quite clear. We oppose the whole or partial sell-off of Meadowbank for housing and call for public investment in a phased refurbishment.

"We want to see the whole site retained for sports facilities, and are not in favour of sacrificing the Velodrome or football pitches."