Demolition 'date set for Sheffield's Don Valley stadium

Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium has been replaced by facilities at Woodbourn Road

Sheffield's Don Valley Stadium will be demolished later this month, a leading city councillor has said.

Isobel Bowler, cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, said it would be knocked down on 21 November.

News of the demolition date came after a 5,922 signature petition campaigning against the stadium's closure was debated by Sheffield City Council.

Don Valley closed at the end of September. It has been replaced by a refurbished track in Woodbourn Road.

The petition, which called for the council to save "an iconic landmark of Sheffield", triggered a debate after receiving more than 5,000 signatures.

Ms Bowler said: "The petitioners came to say that they had a vision and they could run the stadium at no cost to the council.

"Whilst that seemed great they were never able to produce a plan to indicate how they would do this."

She said campaigners had asked for the stadium, where Team GB Olympic gold medallist Jessica Ennis-Hill trains, to be mothballed for six months at a cost to the council of £180,000.

"There was no evidence that they were going to be able to deliver what they hoped to deliver," she said.

"At that stage what would have happened is we would have spent £180,000 and we would be back in the same position as we are now, moving to demolition.

"So the decision of the council, after listening to the debate and respecting the petitioners' passion, was that we would continue with the policy that was decided in April.

"The demolition date, which we will be writing to the group with, I've been told is 21 November."