Council approves funding for Knightswood BMX and Cathkin Braes mountain bike facilities

Glasgow City Council's Executive Committee today (1 June) approved almost £940,000 funding to help the development of two sports facilities in the city - a new international standard BMX Centre in Knightswood and the mountain bike trails at Cathkin Braes Country Park.

Both of these facilities will be competition venues for the Glasgow 2018 European Championships - an exciting new multi-sport event bringing together some of the continents leading sports - and this funding will strengthen the legacy from the Championships in these sports.

The new BMX Centre will be built at Knightswood Recreation Ground on the site of redundant red football pitches, and today's decision will give £332,930 towards the building of Scotland's first and only World and Olympic standard BMX track.  The facility will be the new home of the Western Titans BMX Club.

The main track will accommodate riders of all ages and abilities, and will feature eight and five metre start ramps for advanced riders.  There will also be a pump track for learners, and the tracks will be floodlit. 

In addition, the centre will feature sanitary facilities, a meeting room, a car park and an access road from Archerhill Road.  The playpark and MUGA (multi-use games area) on the edge of the current blaes pitches will remain.

Other funding for the centre will come from the Glasgow 2018 European Championships, sportscotland and HSBC / British Cycling.

The council also approved £616,766 funding towards the extension of the existing mountain bike trails and the creation of skills development areas at Cathkin Braes Country Park.

This work will see a new start/finish constructed to UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) standards for the European Championships located closer to the community in Castlemilk, with changes to the trails to ensure it can accommodate all abilities of riders.

Additional funding for the Cathkin Braes facility will come from Glasgow City Council, sportscotland and LandTrust.

A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: "This funding will add to Glasgow's outstanding collection of sporting facilities, with these two fantastic venues open for the people of Glasgow and our visitors to use, and capable of hosting local, national and international events.  There will be fantastic opportunities for local communities to take part in the development of cycling in Glasgow."

Most of the funding approved by the Executive Committee comes from City Plan Policy ENV 2 - capital receipts from land transactions across the West and South of Glasgow - with the remainder coming from revenue sums to support the maintenance of the facilities over a 10-year period.