Strang calls on council to save Meadowbank 'jewel'

Published on Friday 1 August 2008 10:39

VETERAN MP Gavin Strang has told city councillors to recognise Meadowbank Stadium "for the jewel that it is".

In a letter to constituents in Edinburgh East, the Labour MP criticised plans to bulldoze the stadium and sell off around a third of the land for housing, with new 25 million facilities built to the east.

Earlier plans to sell off the entire Meadowbank site and build a new sports complex at Sighthill were scrapped by the new Lib Dem/SNP administration.

Dr Strang said: "Despite that victory for common sense, nothing less than the retention of the whole site for recreation is acceptable. The facilities should be given a much-needed upgrade by the council as soon as money becomes available.

"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."