Herne Hill Velodrome saved?

A 15 year lease signed by British Cycling may have saved the Herne Hill Velodrome in London – the only UK venue still in use that was used in the finals of the 1948 Olympics.

Plans to resurface the venue, which is in a state of disrepair, yet widely used, have been outlined. Before now, rolling one year leases meant that doing any repair work on a track under threat of closure was unwise.

Peter King from British Cycling, which will foot the bill for revamping the plot, told BBC London 94.9: "The track’s been saved. Now we have to think about redeveloping the whole site."

Further renovations to the central area of the track are expected in the long-term, however King stressed the importance of the resurfacing and restructuring of fences and stands as a priority.

"Now that we have secured the terms for a 15-year lease we will be able to do the repairs, which means resurfacing the track, and repairing the fencing, to enable the track to perform properly again."

Herne Hill was a training ground for numerous stars through cycling’s post war heydey. Bradley Wiggins lists the venue as the place he began racing.