Agenda item

County Councillor R. J. Greenland presented a report to Council which to review proposals and seek a decision on the most suitable option for the provision of a Swimming Pool and Leisure Centre in Monmouth.

During debate we noted:

·         A Member expressed concern that there had been an overspend on the development of the new school in the region of £11m and recalled that he had requested an updated schedule of works which had not been received.  A breakdown of additional costs was requested with an indication of the source of the additional funding and also regular updates on the development of the two new schools.

The Leader couldn’t recall the request and emphasised that the discussion was not about the school, which had been dealt with at a previous meeting, but was to further the Council’s commitment to provide a swimming pool in Monmouth with an enhanced leisure facility that would generate income to pay for itself.  He added that Option 2 was the best option, recognising that the first consideration was the need to not jeopardise young people’s achievements and life chances.  The Cabinet Member for Children and Young People will be bringing a report to Council in the autumn to introduce the next phases of school builds in the county.

·         A Member argued that the plans should be for a competition standard pool, with appropriate depth, lanes and viewing gallery, not a leisure pool.  Assurance was sought that, during the changeover period, staff employment is safe, and, if not, what the effect would be.  Regarding Option 2, an assessment of risks was requested of proceeding with the phases together.  It was queried how long residents would be without the use of a gym and a timescale for the completion of the pool.

Councillor R. J. Greenland responded that the original indicative project price was £6.68m.  Cost certainty was requested and confirmed as an additional £300,000.  The specifications for the pool are in the report and it will be suitable for local competitions.  The Head of Tourism Leisure Culture & Youth commented that this was an aspirational facility for Monmouth completely supported by Leisure Officers, that will add value to the old pool and confirmed that the depth meets Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) standards and suitable for teaching young people to swim.

A response was provided that there is no risk to staff and alternative work has been arranged for the duration of the project.  It was confirmed that regular meetings will be held between stakeholders to ensure safe and smooth running of the two sites.  Regarding timescales, the first phase (redesign of the fitness suite (gym), toning studio etc.) will be 32 weeks and the transformation from sports hall to pool will be up to 52 weeks.  Options are under consideration to provide temporary alternative fitness facilities in the town.

It was explained that the additional £300,000 was due to changes to the depth of floor, a longer programme on site, securing the site for e.g. safe deliveries and following completion of surveys which indicated the need for e.g. deeper foundation piles.

·         Councillor M. Feakins declared a personal, non-prejudicial interest under the Member’s Code of Conduct, in relation to this item, as a member of the Monmouth Leisure Centre gym.  He declared that this was fantastic news for Monmouth.  The vital need for continuity of service was emphasised for NHS exercise referral clients.

·         Councillor Batrouni clarified the confusion regarding funding for the schools projects explaining that the projects wouldn’t happen without the Welsh Government 21^st Century School funding of approximately £2m.  Considering borrowing to build the pool and noting the reliance on income to fund the borrowing, it was questioned if we are moving Leisure Centres to an Alternative Delivery Model (ADM) and if so, an explanation of how the income would be returned was requested.

The Head of Tourism Leisure Culture & Youth confirmed that whether there is an ADM or not, there will still be dependency on funding from the Council (grant or subsidy) and the assets will remain in the council’s portfolio.  The money from the income would pay for the grant (approximately £250,000 pa) according to the business plan.  If there was an ADM the grant paid would be reduced by this amount.

A representative of Alliance Leisure explained that development generates new revenues which are used to fund the capital investment for all models whether in house, not for profit or commercial providers.  A third party consultancy is used to model numbers and usually forecasted returns are exceeded.

·         A Member questioned the quote for a temporary building and if it can be retained after the conclusion of the project.  It was confirmed that the building is leased.

·         A Member commented that this is a fantastic facility for Monmouth that sits well within the ADM and its scope for generating income.  He questioned if the same consideration would be given to the other towns in the county.  Councillor R.J. Greenland responded that the aspiration is to modernise all the leisure facilities but that it was too early to define the proposals for the school and leisure centre in Abergavenny.  A Member commented that both King Henry VIII Comprehensive School and Abergavenny Leisure Centre are badly in need of refurbishment.   Similarly improved school and leisure facilities in Chepstow are also sought. 

·         In response to a question, it was confirmed that the temporary structure will be utilised for other purposes e.g. clubs displaced from the sports hall.

·         A representative of Alliance Leisure commented that this will be an impressive and innovative facility that will feel like a new leisure centre and pool; a great facility for the community.

County Councillor R.J. Greenland summed up that the pool will meet current ASA standards, Sports Wales, curriculum and club requirements.  The project will deliver a fantastic new facility for Monmouth and surrounding areas at an affordable cost with projections of income generation to pay for the project. The Officers and Alliance Leisure were thanked for their work.

Upon being put to the vote, Council resolved to agree the recommendations as presented:

·         To approve the overall funding envelop of £7,404,539 to deliver the new pool and building re-design as indicated in the resources section. This includes the following:

•      Additional funding from the S106 agreement has been confirmed at £985,000 from the Wonastow Road Development.

•       There is also £1,928,000 that has been confirmed by Welsh Government, which is committed to the project.

•     The income assumptions from having new and different facilities is anticipated to be sufficient to support £3,580,000 of the capital expenditure necessary.

•      The council will borrow the remainder, appreciating an allowance was made by Members during budget setting process 2017-18 to create £500k headroom in Council’s treasury budget, to support 5 particular policy commitments, of which this was one.

•     There could be potential of further funding depending on developments   from section 106 in the local area (but this is not included in the calculations).

For this investment the community will be benefiting from a state of the art facility in response to the Well-being and Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 including:

•           A 5 lane 25 metre swimming pool

•           50-60 station fitness facility and additional studios

•           A large adventure play facility with café

Please refer to page 7 of the Final Business Case for further information on facilities included.

·           To approve option 2 with the installation of a temporary structure of 700 metre squared to replace the existing sports hall whilst the works are being completed at a minimum cost of £287,595 and a maximum cost of £415,430 pending suitable planning and a flood consequences survey.