Finishing line in sight for long-awaited Edinburgh sports centre

The finishing line is in sight for a long-awaited sports centre in Edinburgh, with it expected to finally open at the start of the summer holidays.

Staff at Meadowbank Sports Centre were on Tuesday beginning preparations for its opening after the capital’s newest fitness facility was given safety approval to finally open its doors.

The multimillion-pound centre was originally set to welcome visitors in 2020, but Edinburgh Leisure said issues with building supplies and the coronavirus pandemic saw the building delayed.

The original Meadowbank was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games and was closed in December 2017, marking the end of an era for a sports centre used by city clubs and sporting celebrities.

June Peebles, chief executive of Edinburgh Leisure, said: “The new Meadowbank will undoubtedly pick up where the old Meadowbank left off – providing countless opportunities for generations to come to participate in physical activity and sport.

“New sporting memories will be created, and we can’t wait to welcome the people of Edinburgh and beyond, into the new venue.”

The new centre is set to feature an outdoor running track, two artificial 3G pitches, a gymnastics hall, alongside other sporting facilities.

Adam McVey, the leader of the City of Edinburgh Council, hailed it as “one of the country’s top community sports centres with some of the most state-of-the-art fitness facilities in the UK”.

“We’ve been working closely with Edinburgh Leisure throughout the development of this flagship project to make sure that the centre provides the very best in sport and physical activity, while prioritising participation and accessibility,” he said.

“Now, as June and her team put the finishing touches to the building and finalise arrangements for opening, we’re counting down the weeks before everyone can enjoy this fantastic facility.”

Staff from Edinburgh Leisure will, now the completion certificate has been issued, be spending the next few weeks looking for snagging issues, finalising operating arrangements, fitting out the building with equipment, and undergoing training.