The future of Edinburgh's Meadowbank Stadium is hanging in the balance after the city council launched a consultation on the future of the sports centre, STV reports.

This year's budget has a £60,000 funding package to assess all possible options for the future of Meadowbank, one of Scotland's most well known sports stadiums. Despite it being only the 4^th biggest in Edinburgh, the venue houses hundreds of athletes daily and is thus the busiest and most multifunctional stadium in the Scottish capital.

It is understood that the site could be used for a new, state-of-the-art facility to replace the existing one. Labour councillor Norma Hart told the budget meeting: "This money will kickstart the process and we intend to develop some options for what to do with the existing site and then take them out to local communities, users, athletes and funders in a rigorous consultation.

"A working group would be set up to take this forward and the council should expect a report soon."

The city council first announced plans in 2006 to demolish the stadium and replace it with a new facility at Sighthill.

That plan was put on hold four years ago after land prices in the capital plunged in the wake of the global financial crisis, but the council said it still intended to go ahead with a new facility.

The Save Meadowbank campaign gathered 6000 signatures for its petition to reverse the council's decision and organised a march to the City Chambers which 600 people took part in.