Velodrome Comes Down

Work to demolish the Velodrome site at Saffron Lane started on Monday.

The velodrome was built in 1969 for cycling championships and was regarded as one of the top stadiums in the country for 20 years. However, because of lack of investment by the Council the track became rotten and so the site was closed in 1999.

Dale Keeling, the local Lib Dem councillor who has twice spoke against proposals to place blocks of flats on the site told BBC Radio Leicester yesterday, "The residents and I have had to fight extremely hard to convince the city council to invest in the velodrome to make it a centre of sporting excellence again..."

The local press has revealed that about £100,000 of tax-payers money is being spent on demolishing the site. The Labour cabinet member for Culture and Leisure is quoted as saying that one of the reason for the move is "to make the site more marketable. It is a brownfield site that is ideal for housing."

Local Aylestone Park residents have fought against two proposals of housing development and wish for the site to remain for sporting/leisure use.