Proposals for a new sports centre in Edinburgh have moved forward after the projects funding shortfall dropped.

According to a previous report in February, the estimated project costs to develop a new Meadowbank Sports Centre was £43m, with a funding shortfall of between £11.3m and £19.8m.

The revised figures now show an estimated cost of £42m with a shortfall of £6.8m.

The council said this is due to increasing land values, a modified and re-costed design, and no significant issues from the intrusive ground survey.

Plans for the development include transforming the existing facility into a sports centre, including surrounding areas for physical activity, health and wellbeing.

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The new centre would include:

• An outdoor athletics track with seating for 500.

• An indoor 60m six lane athletics track with jumps area.

• An outdoor throws area.

• A 3G synthetic sports pitch or grass pitch in the centre of the outdoor athletics track for football, rugby and other pitch sports.

• An additional outdoor 3G synthetic sports pitch.

• An eight badminton court sports hall with 500 permanent seats plus bleachers (the same size as the current Meadowbank Hall 1).

• A four badminton court sports hall with 500 permanent seats(the same size as the current Meadowbank Hall 2).

• A gymnastics hall, gym, studios, changing facilities, café, meeting rooms.

Council leader Andrew Burns said: "We will continue to explore all funding options to find the required £6.8m so the existing facility can be demolished and transformed into a brand new sports complex that would serve the sporting needs of the residents of Edinburgh and the east of Scotland."

If the funding shortfall is addressed and a team is appointed in February 2016, demolition could begin in autumn that year with the new centre opening in Spring 2018.

(LM/CD)