Facilities at a new Ayr leisure centre would have to be cut by a fifth in order to meet budget constraints, it has been revealed.
On Thursday, South Ayrshire councillors will make a final decision on controversial plans, which ‘deviate significantly’ from the proposals agreed by the previous administration in August 2021.
The project looked unlikely to be taken forward after the council voted against progressing with the centre, which the council had allocated £46m.
The Conservative administration had made scrapping the centre a central plank of their manifesto and told the last full council that the costs were prohibitive.
The proposal is already sitting £7m over budget, with the current inflation rate expected to see that figure rise even further.
However, the terms of the contract with HubSW, which operates the framework for large public contracts, meant that they would have 30 days to work with council officials and return with a proposal which would bring the project back in line with the budget.
On Thursday, at the last council meeting of 2022, councillors will be asked to decide on whether to progress with the reduced leisure centre, or back the administration’s plan to focus on refurbishing the Citadel Leisure Centre.
The report to the council points out that it has already made compromises in the original design, by not including a main hall.
HubSW have now returned to the council with a revised proposal, one which would see significant reductions to the centre’s facilities.
The rear of Hourstons would be demolished, but there would be no refurbishment of the historic store to incorporate the facade along with new facilities.
The facilities earmarked for that refurbished area would be transferred to the main building.
This would have a knock on effect on the leisure facilities, including:
- reduction in the main pool from eight to six lanes
- reduced ‘fun water’ zone including removal of flumes and soft play area
- reduced spectator seating from 150 to 100
- Total leisure centre floor space reduced by 20 percent.
The report continues: “The aspiration for the new leisure centre was to provide a facility with the correct balance between sport and leisure that would be more flexible and could see significant increases in participation at all levels.
“The new building would also be a ‘destination’ for families to spend more leisure time together in a town centre location. The revised proposals would see a noticeable diminishment of these aspirations.”
The council has 60 days from receipt of the revised proposal to make a decision on whether to go ahead.
If councillors do reject the proposal, the justification for it would no longer be affordability. Instead it would be based on whether the facility met the requirements set out for the original plan.
HubSW would have the option of challenging any decision to reject the proposal within 10 days of it being made.
The council could base the decision on ‘other reasons’. However, this would entitle HubSW to a payment of almost £1m in fees.
The budget for the centre is £44.99m, with £1.68m already spent on the project. The council has also handed over a non-returnable deposit for the Arran Mall.
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
