S2M-5663 Mark Ballard: Save Meadowbank Stadium

Mark Ballard, The Scottish Green Party MSP for Lothians, has put forward a motion to Save Meadowbank Stadium to the Scottish Parliament.

S2M-5663 Mark Ballard: Save Meadowbank Stadium — That the Parliament expresses concern at the proposed demolition of Meadowbank Stadium, home to the Commonwealth Games of 1970 and 1986; notes that stadia in Berlin, Helsinki, Stockholm and Los Angeles have all been successfully refurbished and all are older than Meadowbank Stadium; notes that the proposed transfer of the stadium to Sighthill would mean that two running tracks, the other at nearby Saughton, would sit on the west of the city, while stadium users from eastern and central Edinburgh would be expected to make a round journey of up to 12 miles and users from East Lothian would largely be excluded on the grounds of travel time and travel expense; rejects the loss of Scotland’s sporting heritage, Meadowbank having been home to Liz McColgan’s first Commonwealth title in 1986 and Lachie Stewart’s Commonwealth 10,000 metres victory over Ron Clarke in 1970 to name but two iconic performances, as well as being the training ground of Yvonne Murray, former European 3,000 metres Champion; notes that Meadowbank Stadium is home to Edinburgh Southern Harriers, currently the best women’s athletics club in the United Kingdom, having won last season’s UK League, a most notable feat for a Scottish club; notes the concerns of football clubs that use Sighthill Park for training; notes the objections of thousands of users, who have signed an ongoing petition, as well as coaches and their athletes who fear loss of facilities at a vital time in their preparations for 2012 Olympics and 2014 Commonwealth Games; notes that the current public consultation does not extend to whether or not local people want the stadium demolished but only consults on ideas for the site when demolition is complete; rejects the logic that new facilities can only be funded by the sell-off of existing facilities; notes that this proposal is at odds with need to tackle Scotland’s appalling health record and growing obesity problem, and calls on the City of Edinburgh Council to work with the Scottish Executive to restore the neglected stadium as it is part of our national sporting heritage.