A call has been made to turn the mothballed Live Active Rodney Centre in Perth into a temporary ‘warm hub’ to help those struggling to heat their homes amid the cost of living crisis.
Louise Velazquez of Perth Arts spoke out ahead of a Property Sub-Committee on Monday where councillors will discuss two proposals that would save the former leisure facility from being sold.
Expressions of interest have been submitted by two groups to developing the pavilion into an outdoor and river activities centre or social enterprise cafe.
The move would fall under a formal Community Asset Transfer (CAT) and if accepted would save the Dundee Road facility from being put on the market.
For months Ms Velazquez has been urging the council to turn the facility into a community arts studio and cafe but is “disappointed” that her group’s proposal will not be part of the agenda at committee.
Gym and fitness services were withdrawn from the Rodney Centre over the summer and moved to Bell’s Sports Centre.
Other uses were looked at by officers including a bowls venue, a soft play centre and a martial arts centre.
Council officers also explored transforming the centre into an annex for Kinnoull Primary School.
However, none of these options have been deemed feasible due to the centre’s condition and a market valuation of the property was undertaken.
The most recent condition survey in 2019 identified that £600,000 would need to be spent to bring the building up to current standards.
The council has to spend £40,000 annually to maintain the building, while business rates (from which LAL were exempt) are around £26,572 per annum.
And with options running out councillors will discuss both CAT plans, however the applicants details have not been revealed.
An extract from the report going before councillors reads: “All community group inquiries were supported by the council’s communities team and from these initial inquiries, expressions of interest have been received from two groups regarding developing the Rodney Pavilion.
“These proposals relate to the creation of a new riverside social enterprise cafe and training opportunity, as well as developing a new site for river-borne and other outdoor activities.
“The CAT team met with representatives of these groups on September 15, 2022 to discuss their proposals in more detail and consider the next steps in the process.”
But while the facility stands idle as its future is decided, Ms Velazquez is urging the council to make it available to the public.
“A warm hub could be set up inside the Rodney Centre, with wood burning stoves and radiators,” she said.
“So many people are worried about their heating bills and keeping warm over the winter.
“It is a crisis for people now.
“It can provide a place where people can go to during the day and while the future of the building is being decided.
“The community can fix things that have gone wrong inside. We want to get the community more involved and see what happens.
“It worked well as a community hub before and can continue that.”
Ms Velazquez also aired her frustration that her proposal for a community art studio and cafe will not be discussed on Monday.
“We didn’t want to go the CAT route,” she said. “Because our first concern is that we think PKC should not have the right to just dispose of the pavilion.
“People will take it over and then it could go bankrupt.
“It should have open access and be for the benefit of the people of Perth.
“We have been talking to the council a lot and it is not on the agenda [for Monday].
“We are disappointed and a bit concerned about it.”
If no formal CAT request has been received by the council by May 2023, it will be put up for sale.
A Perth and Kinross Council spokesperson said: “Following a report to council in June about the future of Rodney, a number of expressions of interest have been received.
“These will all be considered in line with our legal obligations for transfer or disposal of public buildings.
“Officers have had extensive dialogue with Perth Arts and have offered advice and support to the group on how to submit a viable proposal for taking on the management of Rodney.”
The council also wished to highlight that it has already set up a number of Warm Spaces located across Perth and Kinross in order to help struggling residents.
These can be located at www.pkc.gov.uk/article/22930/Warm-spaces-in-Perth-and-Kinross and will be publicised further in the coming weeks.
