DETAILS have been revealed of the new Olympic standard BMW track which will be built in the West End.

Glasgow Life plans to build an international grade track in Knightswood in advance of the new European Championships which will be held in the city in 2018.

As well as resulting in the first high quality track in Glasgow, it is also hoped it will create a lasting legacy by encouraging and nurturing athletic talent in the local area and beyond.

The new track will be created on a site bounded by Archerhill Road, Lincoln Avenue and Knightswood golf course.

It presently has blaes soccer pitches and is used as a pedestrian and cyclists shortcut and by dog walkers.

Plans lodged with city planners say there will be two start towers, one at 8m and another at 5m to cater for cyclists of mixed abilities and a small scale training track will be built for juniors and learners.

The track will be floodlit to allow it to be used in the winter months and there will be a pavilion with toilets, showers, first aid and meeting rooms.

The report says: “BMX races rely on gravity to provide the athletes with an initial impetus at the start of a race.

“This requires starting platforms at two different heights to suit professional competitors and beginners.

“Glasgow is co-host city of the inaugural 2018 European Championships together with partner city Berlin.

“Played out in front of a potential television audience of up to 1billion people, with many more across digital channels, this event will elevate the status of the new European Championships and the profile of the city of Glasgow.

“Glasgow Life has identified the need for the construction of a new international grade BMX race track as no track of this quality currently exists in the city.”

Sir Chris Hoy began his cycling careers as a seven-year-old in BMX coming second in Britain, fifth in Europe and ninth in the world by the age of 14 before moving on to his hugely successful Olympic and world athletics career.

The European Cycling Championships in Glasgow in 2018 will include track, road , mountain bike and BMX events and will attract 650 of Europe’s top names.

A council spokesman said: “It is a testament to our recent investment in world-class sports facilities that the only venue being build ahead of Glasgow 2018 is the new BMX track at Knightswood Park which will be a lasting legacy for future generations.”

Work is due to start this summer and be completed by spring next year.