Edinburgh Council proposes to radically downsize Meadowbank Sports Centre and sell-off around 40% of the current site to housing developers. Find out more…
Gavin Strang says the plan to sell Meadowbank for housing is wrong and that the Council should recognise the hugely popular facility “for the jewel that it is.”
He made his comments in his current mailshot to constituents. The Edinburgh East MP wrote: “The campaign to save Meadowbank has successfully halted the Council’s plan to sell it of to a developer and use the money thus raised to build new facilities at Sighthill.
“Despite that victory for common sense, nothing less than the retention of the whole site for recreation is acceptable. Moreover, the operating facilities should be given a much needed upgrade by the Council as soon as money becomes available.
“The latest Council policy of selling off part of the site for housing is wrong and needs to be resisted with the same intensity as led to the victory over the first proposal.
“Meadowbank is a tremendous asset not just for East Edinburgh but for the city as a whole.
“We are lucky that Meadowbank is close to the city centre. It is time the Council recognised it for the jewel that it is.”
Save Meadowbank spokesman Kevin Connor said: “We welcome this continued support from the local MP and urge people to sign the petition to ask the Scottish Government to provide the money to fund Meadowbank’s refurbishment.”
The petition to ask the Scottish Parliament to provide funding for national sports facility such as that at Meadowbank is available through the http://www.savemeadowbank.org website or directly at http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/view_petition.asp?PetitionID=260.
Edinburgh Council proposes to radically downsize Meadowbank Sports Centre and sell-off around 40% of the current site to housing developers. Find out more…
An online petition has been launched to urge the Scottish Government to match its rhetoric about sport with hard cash.
The petition, from Chris Gallacher on behalf of the Save Meadowbank Campaign, calls on the Scottish Government to explain how its commitment to promote sport and healthy living – and leave a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games – can be delivered when local authorities say they are having to close facilities due to lack of funding.
It asks the Government to engage with local authorities and provide adequate funding to ensure facilities are not diminished through, for example, their sale for private housing.
The petition quotes a pre-election circular from Justice Minister (and constituency MSP covering the Meadowbank area) Kenny MacAskill who criticised the previous Labour administration, stating “what we need is more public facilities not less”. Yet now Mr. MacAskill supports the current plan to demolish Meadowbank, which will significantly reduce facilities, and build housing on much of the site.
The Scottish Government has also gone back on a pledge it made to provide Edinburgh Council with £28.8 million of funds to upgrade the Royal Commonwealth Pool. Now they will provide only £5 million, and may give a smaller contribution towards the cost of refurbishing Meadowbank.
Mr Gallacher lodged his petition when the City of Edinburgh Council, which is now run by an SNP/Lib Dem coalition, decided in March this year to demolish Meadowbank Stadium and replace it with a scaled-down sports centre that doesn’t include many of its current facilities. The Council has justified its decision on financial grounds, saying it doesn’t have money to refurbish the existing site or build a similarly-sized replacement.
Mr Gallacher said: “Even at its current size, Meadowbank is often unable to meet demand. To reduce its capacity will have predictable consequences for the number of medals won by Scottish-based athletes in 2012, 2014, and beyond. The health benefits of an active lifestyle are well documented and frequently promoted.
“How sincere is this government’s commitment? Many thousands of elite and ordinary sports enthusiasts, local and wider Edinburgh residents, and many others from throughout Scotland and far beyond have shown their opposition to any selling off and downsizing of Meadowbank.”
Save Meadowbank spokesman Kevin Connor said: “Edinburgh is Scotland ’s capital city yet the Government says it is only prepared to give its Council a one-off payment of around £9 million to look after its two major international sports venues, Meadowbank and the Royal Commonwealth Pool. That is totally inadequate.
“National facilities require national funding. Edinburgh Council needs far more central Government support. But this isn’t just an Edinburgh issue. Other Councils have similar problems and I call upon people throughout Scotland to sign this petition to ask the Government to provide the money to match its rhetoric.’
Sign the petition at:
http://epetitions.scottish.parliament.uk/view_petition.asp?PetitionID=260
Another Meadowbank land deal has been uncovered just days after Edinburgh Council was criticised by the Scottish Information Commissioner for its handling of a significant cut price land deal on the same site.
The Scottish Episcopal Church has confirmed it sold land to the Council in October last year. John Stuart, their General Secretary, told campaigners his organisation sold land to the Council “for full value, after having received independent valuation advice.”
He explained: “It recently came to light that the Scottish Episcopal Church owned a very small strip of land in the area. I understand from our solicitors that the area of ground in question represents part of the land formerly comprising Clockmill Road which as stopped up in 1968. The Church at that time owned some land bounded by the road and became owner of part of the road as a result of its stopping up.”
Save Meadowbank spokesman Kevin Connor commented: “This is the second time this week we have heard about the Council buying land at Meadowbank. How many more such deals are there?
“The previous deal, which was done under the previous Council administration and involved land being sold for just 1% of its market value, was criticised this week by the Scottish Information Commissioner. Now we find the current administration has also bought land on the same site. We call upon the Council to come clean and provide full detail of all deals it has done or is currently negotiating in connection with land at Meadowbank.”
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