Plans to replace the historic Meadowbank Stadium in Edinburgh with a modern £47m sports centre will be discussed by the City of Edinburgh Council next month.

Two planning applications have been filed for the stadium, which was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games.

One application proposes a new £47m sports centre to replace the original venue, while the other lays out plans for a mixed-use redevelopment of the wider site, designed to provide the finance for the new sports centre.

The hearing will be the first step of the plans to redevelop the Meadowbank site and, if the applications are successful, the wider masterplan will undergo a public consultation later this year.

The plans are driven by Edinburgh Leisure and designed by Holmes Miller Architects. Facilities at the new centre will include an outdoor athletics track with a 500 seat spectator stand, an outdoor throwing and jumps area and two 3G football pitches.

Indoor facilities are set to include an athletics track and jumps space, two multi-sport games halls, two squash courts, a combat studio for martial arts and a boxing gym.

There will also be a large health club with a gym floor and three fitness studios.

If planning is secured, the new centre is set to open in 2020.

Council Leader, Adam McVey, said: “There is no doubt this is one of the most important infrastructure projects taking place in the city today.

“Meadowbank Sports Centre has been at the heart of sport and physical activity in Edinburgh for almost 50 years. It has inspired thousands of people to get fit and get active but it really has reached the end of its lifespan.

“The new facility is set to build on the legacy of the past but create a modern sport and fitness facility for all levels, for future generations of residents to enjoy and live longer and healthier lives.

"It will be financed by development of the wider site, which also provides us with a unique opportunity to support the Council’s commitment to build 20,000 affordable new homes within ten years.

“I am pleased to see a date set for the designs to be debated, and to confirm extensive engagement will take place on the wider site development if the planning applications are approved."