Hopes report will boost case for West Midlands velodrome
Campaigners hope a new report into the cost of indoor velodromes will boost their case for building a facility in the West Midlands.
The technical review, first commissioned by British Cycling two years ago, is finally due to be published next month and could represent a significant milestone in the bid for an indoor velodrome to be built as a legacy to the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
More than 8,400 people have signed a petition since it first emerged no facility would be built for this summer’s Games, with the track cycling events instead taking place in London.
Organisers argued a velodrome would cost upwards of £40million but campaigners claim a low-cost training facility could be built for around £6million and believe the technical review will back up their argument.
West Midlands mayor Andy Street, who last year committed to developing a business case for a velodrome in the region, has also been waiting for the review’s publication before pushing ahead with those plans.
Members of the velodrome campaign team met recently with representatives from key organisations including West Midlands Combined Authority, Black Country Active Partnership and British Cycling to further make their case.
In a statement given to the Express & Star, the campaign team explained: “This was a further important step in ensuring any business case takes into account regional and national priorities and opportunities, and we acknowledge the competing pressures and priorities facing all organisations in the current climate.
“Alongside this, the campaign team are delighted the British Cycling ‘Lower Cost Velodromes’ technical review is nearing completion.
“The review is an important step towards understanding the technical factors involved in delivering community type indoor training velodromes and will provide helpful information to inform the West Midlands velodrome business case.
“In our opinion, value for money arenas can help to make track cycling - together with indoor sports - more accessible and inclusive to many more people in local communities around the UK.
“This official review confirms our long-held belief that new build training velodromes can be constructed for far less than some existing velodromes.”
