Plans for a controversial greyhound stadium in East Lothian have been scrapped. . . 20 years after they were first put forward.
Sirius Sports and Leisure director Howard Wallace, who has been the driving force behind the partially built stadium, has told East Lothian Council that he has “written off” the costs of the project to date.
In a statement lodged as part of a planning application to change his company’s obligations over the stadium, Mr Wallace said that changing attitudes towards greyhound racing in society and among politicians along with the closure of a number of UK stadiums had led his decision.
He said: “I regret that, against this evolving background, I have not been able to proceed with the stadium any further.
“My company Sirius Sports & Leisure has written off stadium costs of £2.53million in its accounts.”
The application to change obligations comes as it is revealed that East Lothian family firm John Gilmour Butchers has come to a conditional agreement with Sirius Sport and Leisure to take on the stadium site.
In a statement lodged with the council in support of the application, John Gilmour Butchers says it intends to move its Macmerry operations to the site, known as Victory Lane, so it can expand.
A move, Mr Wallace, puts down to council involvement stating: “Whilst my ambitions for Wallyford have failed, I was pleased that the council’s economic development team referred the stadium site to John GIlmour Butchers with a view to relocating their meat-processing factory there.”
The original plan for the greyhound stadium at Barbachlaw Farm, off Salters Road, was approved by the council in early 2005 as part of a new development area, which was to include business and industry, as well as housing.
However, the council included a condition that work had to start on the steel structure of the stadium before any housing could be built.
The steel structure of the proposed main stand was erected – but has stood as an eyesore for more than 15 years.
Development of the stadium stalled after the steel stand frame was put up – with a major housing development subsequently built north-east of the site – and developers said they needed to build more housing to finance the leisure project.
In 2013 Sirius Sport was granted planning permission, on appeal, to Scottish Ministers for 94 house at the site with a condition that funds from the houses would be used to fund the stadium.
That application sparked a campaign to stop the stadium being built with an online petitions gathering thousands of signatures and local councillors and politicians lobbied by protestors.
Now its agents are asking East Lothian Council to change the condition to allow Sirius Sports to sell the stadium land to secure business use.
The planning application is currently under consideration.
