The council’s Development Management Sub Committee (planning committee by any other name) meets this month to consider two planning applications for the replacement of Meadowbank. This will come just ahead of the council’s month of recess, but was delayed from 15 May.
Two distinct hearings will be held on 29 June 2018 at the City Chambers in a meeting devoted to the site on which the former sports stadium sits empty.
The first session will consider granting detailed planning consent for the proposed £47 million sports centre to replace the now closed former Commonwealth Games venue.
The second will consider only the first steps in developing the larger site. The council needs the proceeds from the sale of some of the adjacent land to fund the new sports facilities.
Meadowbank was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and closed at the end of 2017. Designs were released last September which showed the look and feel of the new stadium which the council hopes to have ready for Easter 2020.
There was a 12 week consultation on the proposals for the site with over 500 responses from the public during exhibitions involving Edinburgh Leisure users, community councils and sports clubs. 65% of those who replied said that they thought the new designs offered the right mix of facilities, although campaigners behind ‘Save Meadowbank’ say that these are being reduced from 34 to 19.
The new masterplan was submitted in January 2018 to develop what the council describe as surplus land. This includes new housing, which will go some way to assisting the council in their commitment to build 20,000 affordable homes within 10 years.
Some of that will be homes for the private market, some student flats as well as a community garden, shops, restaurants and a hotel.
Another aspect of the masterplan is a walking and cycling route with a proposal to reopen Clockmill Road and then link Restalrig, London Road and Holyrood Park.
Council Leader, Adam McVey, said: “There is no doubt this is one of the most important infrastructure projects taking place in the city today.
“Meadowbank Sports Centre has been at the heart of sport and physical activity in Edinburgh for almost 50 years. It has inspired thousands of people to get fit and get active but it really has reached the end of its lifespan.
“The new facility is set to build on the legacy of the past but create a modern sport and fitness facility for all levels, for future generations of residents to enjoy and live longer and healthier lives. It will be financed by development of the wider site, which also provides us with a unique opportunity to support the Council’s commitment to build 20,000 affordable new homes within ten years.
“I am pleased to see a date set for the designs to be debated, and to confirm extensive engagement will take place on the wider site development if the planning applications are approved.
Depute Leader, Cammy Day, said: “We have listened to community groups and it is clear this is a project people in the city feel passionately about. While we have already consulted on our proposals, there is clearly a lot of public interest in the wider plan and a desire for more community engagement and we will work with the local community to create a development everyone can be proud of.”
June Peebles, Chief Executive of Edinburgh Leisure, said: “A huge amount of work, involving many interested parties, has taken place on the design and layout of the new Meadowbank to get us to this stage. The date being set for planning applications to be considered and the prospect of a brand new sports centre in 2020 is a hugely exciting one. The new venue will undoubtedly pick up where the old Meadowbank left off, providing countless opportunities for future generations to participate in physical activity and sport.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
