I love the Velodrome, and it certainly is a facility that Manchester should be proud of, but this article makes some rather wild assumptions about what might have happened without it. If I recall correctly Chris Boardman won an Olympic track cycling Gold several years before the Manc Velodrome was built.

As for it's accessibiltiy, yes anyone can use it, but the actual times it's open for public use are quite restrictive. In reality BMX racing and club level road bike racing are still more likely to provide the next generation of track cycling talent than the velodrome itself