After a long run of nearly half a century, Edinburgh's primary track and field stadium is about to be demolished. The city plans to create a new state-of-the-art sports centre on the same site.

Meadowbank Stadium, which was built for the 1970 Commonwealth Games, will be replaced with a new £41.1m sports centre which is due to open in Easter 2020. The new centre will be partly funded by residential and commercial development on parts of the existing site.

Ian Campbell, City of Edinburgh Council's vice convener of culture and communities, said: "This is the end of an era for Meadowbank and the start of a major redevelopment to support physical activity, health and wellbeing in Edinburgh for generations to come. The facility will support both the local community and clubs and it is important we get the design right.

"That is why the facility mix has been revisited, and now incorporates improved indoor athletics facilities in line with feedback from individual users and sports clubs within the budget we have available."

He said the old Meadowbank had been "at the heart of sport in Edinburgh for almost half a century".

The new sports centre is to include:

• outdoor athletics track with a 500 seat stand
• 2 multi-sport games halls
• 3 fitness studios
• 1 gym
• 1 gymnastics hall
• 2 squash courts
• 1 combat studio for martial arts
• 1 boxing gym with ring
• 1 60m six-lane indoor athletics track and jumps space
• 1 outdoor throwing area
• 2 Fifa-standard 3G pitches - one in the centre of the athletics track
• Cafe and meeting rooms