DETAILED proposals for a £25 million revamped sports complex at Meadowbank including a 5000-seat stadium were unveiled today.
The city council, with architects and sports experts, has produced an image of how the site would look once the existing stadium has been bulldozed, and a third of the land sold for housing.
City leaders today stressed a final decision on the overall choice of sports facilities for the smaller site has not been reached, but said the proposals demonstrate "what can be achieved".
No timeline has been drawn up but the council wants the Meadowbank revamp completed before the 2014 Commonwealth Games at the latest.
• View map of the proposed changes to Meadowbank
The designs include:
• A central athletics stadium positioned to minimise the impact of prevailing wind and sun.
• Three seven-a-side synthetic football pitches.
• 16 indoor sports courts and two multi-purpose facilities.
• An indoor "street" with a café and children's facilities.
• A fitness centre, gym and indoor athletics track.
City sports leader Deidre Brock said today: "Although they are by no means final, these are some interesting and exciting proposals that demonstrate what can be achieved.
"We still have some way to go but we will continue to work with key organisations and experts to develop options for the council to consider in October."
Land to the west of the site, where the existing stadium is housed, is due to be sold off for around £17m.
The new stadium to the east will accommodate 5000 spectators, compared to an official figure of 16,500 at present. However the dilapidated state of the existing facilities make this figure unreachable.
The designs by architect FaulknerBrowns include a gym and indoor athletics track to the north of the site, but it is thought other options would have priority, should initial funding run out.
Two car parks have been included on either side of the main entrance from London Road, while the football pitches would be situated on roughly the same spot as the existing velodrome, which will be lost.
However, it emerged today that this south-eastern part of the site will have to be tested for possible contamination before construction can start, because it used to house railway yards.
Scottish Cycling has called for a new £2.5m competition-standard cycle track in the east of Scotland, and council chiefs today said they will meet later this week to discuss "affordable and practical" options for facilities elsewhere.
The council's director of corporate services, Jim Inch, said a "design team" for Meadowbank has now been appointed, including architects and consultants specialising in land, finance and sport.
He said: "Work is ongoing on the detail of the sporting facilities. Utilising the sports brief agreed by council (in March], FaulknerBrowns have been developing options for the site.
"This is very much work in progress and will be concluded by the autumn following an extensive period of consultation with key stakeholders over the summer.
"However, one crucial piece of work has already been completed. UK Athletics, Scottish Athletics and representatives from Meadowbank have worked with the council to consider in detail the best orientation for the stadium on the site.
"(The new image] shows the preferred orientation which takes account of and minimises the impact of the prevailing wind and sun on athletes.
"It is too early to determine precisely the final facilities mix. Already, however, it is clear that the design must be flexible to accommodate a range of sporting activities.
"Edinburgh Leisure is undertaking a review of the requirements for outdoor all-weather pitches on the site, the outcome of which will inform the business plan as well as the availability of land for disposal."
SportScotland is now working to analyse any gaps in sporting provision in the west of the Capital, following the collapse of original plans for a new national stadium in Sighthill, capable of hosting major rugby and athletics events.
The £53m project would have involved selling off the whole of the Meadowbank site, but this led to a concerted campaign at last year's elections.
The ruling Lib Dem/SNP administration has since taken the decision to rebuild facilities in the east of the city, which they claim "saves" Meadowbank.
But selling off any land remains controversial, and campaigners have warned the city council to expect thousands of public objections to plans to build homes.
Opposition councillors and protesters have also warned that the overall level of sports provision in the Capital could drop.
The major sticking point is deciding what facilities to incorporate at the smaller site. Council officialsdecided to pursue one list, which includes the four sports halls, changing facilities, a gym and fitness studio, indoor athletics and a 5000-seat stadium.
£1.2m BILL FOR FESTIVAL OPENING OF UNFINISHED USHER HALL
COMPENSATION for orchestras and urgent work to temporarily re-open the Usher Hall for this year's festival is to cost the city council over £1.25 million, it emerged today.
As first reported by the Evening News, the venue will only reopen for August before closing again until next year. The Scottish Chamber Orchestra (SCO) and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (RSNO) will have to perform in some of Edinburgh's smaller venues as a result, and will receive £400,000 council compensation. Urgent works required to open the Usher Hall for performances this August are to cost the council £864,000.
The cost of the entire revamp is currently priced at £20 million, but it is known that these costs have risen.
The delays have been caused by various problems with the building's structure.
Council officials today said they cannot put a cost on the overall scheme yet, but warned that the price rise "may be considerable", and this could lead to delays for other major capital projects while the extra funding is sourced.
City culture leader Deidre Brock said: "The Edinburgh International Festival has been present in the Usher Hall during every festival since 1947 and we are committed to making the venue available again this year. Once the festival is over our contractors will be back on site working flat out on the project."
Work on pool faces £3.5m black hole
A MAJOR revamp of the Royal Commonwealth Pool is facing a £3.5 million black hole, it emerged today.
The Evening News revealed earlier this month that a funding gap had re-emerged, barely three months after the Lib Dem/SNP administration set aside money to complete the £37m overhaul in its first-ever budget.
The plans for the Commonwealth Pool (RCP) were reliant on a £6m receipt from the sale of Spartans FC's former City Park ground to housebuilder Miller, but councillors on the planning committee recently voted to scale back the development.
It was thought this would result in a £2m funding gap, but the council's corporate services director Jim Inch today said: "This, factored with the effect of the ongoing credit crunch, is likely to reduce the expected capital receipt to the council and has consequently created a funding gap of around £3.5m for the RCP project.
"Therefore, the project board will now review the total funding package for the RCP and the outcome of this review will be presented to council in the autumn."
The revamp of the pool is necessary because Edinburgh is due to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games diving competition on Glasgow's behalf.
The full article contains 1260 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
