Perth and Kinross: Leisure cuts
Perth set to lose leisure pool and ice rink to save money
Perth and Kinross councillors have been recommended to agree to Perth no longer having a leisure pool or ice rink.
Councillors will next week be asked to approve recommendations to replace Perth’s three main leisure facilities – Bell’s Sports Centre, Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool – with one single building.
And in a revision to plans for the replacement £110 million PH20 project – while a 25m pool and teaching pool would be included – a leisure pool, ice rink and indoor bowling would not be included.
On Monday, January 22, Perth and Kinross Council (PKC) will meet to consider the Transformation Review of leisure assets owned or funded by PKC and the 10 recommendations to “maintain accessible, affordable and sustainable leisure provision” for the next five to 10 years.
In March 2023 councillors instructed officers to conduct a review of all current leisure assets owned by either PKC or its arms-length external organisation Live Active Leisure (LAL).
As part of the review officers looked at stand-alone leisure facilities in Perth, Blairgowrie, Pitlochry and Kinross; leisure facilities on community campuses; leisure facilities at/next to secondary schools but not on community campuses, and community halls operated by LAL where community fitness classes are often held.
Driving the need for the review is a “tough” operating environment to provide the publicly funded leisure services.
The report – written by PKC’s head of Culture and Community Services Fiona Robertson – says: “Low cost and online providers, changing customer needs and very high levels of capital investment required for venues to remain attractive and competitive and safe are all factors, alongside diminishing external funding for facilities renewal or replacement.”
The cost of running Perth’s three main facilities is highlighted as presenting “particular property cost challenges”. All three buildings are over 30 years old “with more frequent unplanned closures which erode income and customer confidence” and “generate significant carbon emissions”. Swimming pools and ice rinks are described as being “inherently high consumers of energy” and the age of Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool “makes this more difficult and costly to address”.
In August 2022 Historic Environment Scotland received a proposal from the Twentieth Century Society for Bell’s Sports Centre and Perth Leisure Pool to be designated as Category B-listed buildings. A public consultation on the proposals will close later this month. However, if listed status is granted it does not prevent other options for the buildings’ futures “including commercial marketing and disposal by LAL”.
If retained, the report – going before councillors – says the three main leisure venues require an £18m spend over the next five years on repairs, reinstating Bell’s and energy efficiency measures.
Councillors will be asked to revise the outline business case and facilities mix options approved in 2021 for the £110m PH20 project – merging Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre – to now include facilities currently at Bell’s. But the new PH20 facility would no longer include an ice rink, leisure pool or indoor bowling.
The report recommends: “The facilities mix previously proposed for PH20 should be reduced in light of Review findings in relation to usage and market trends, and affordability factors.”
Swimming is the most popular leisure activity at the three Perth sites with 314,246 swimming sessions booked in 2022/23, followed by 117,800 gym sessions and 72,246 fitness sessions.
The recommendation is for the new replacement Perth leisure facility to include: a 25m eight-lane traditional swimming pool with moveable floor, a teaching pool, fitness gym, studios, sports hall and family play activity.
The report says the current site at Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre is “likely still the optimum location” with swimming provision maintained whilst construction is under way. However it does say “other site options should be investigated”.
Councillors will be asked to approve the development of a costed transition plan “setting out where, how and why interim leisure provision will be delivered in Perth whilst outstanding issues with Perth Leisure Pool and Bell’s in particular are resolved and the PH20 project is rescoped”.
Councillors will meet on Monday to discuss the radical recommendations.