Agenda item - Leisure Transformation

Key Decision

Portfolio Holder: Deputy Leader of the Council (Inward Focus), Councillor Tom Hollis

a) that the current Festival Hall site, Kirkby-in-Ashfield be approved as the preferred site for a new flagship leisure destination.

b) that the indicative financial business model for the design and construction of the new leisure centre at the existing Festival Hall site, as attached to the officer’s report, be approved.

c) that a further report be brought back to Cabinet, and subsequently to Council for funding approval after the completion of the tendering process.

d) that authority be delegated to the Interim Director of Place and Communities, in consultation with Deputy Leader (Inward Focus), to:

i. select a suitable Framework agreement to appoint the professional team for the project;

ii. commission the professional team to undertake design and development work to progress the project through to the end of RIBA Stage 4;

iii. approve the procurement of the leisure centre through the use of a competitive procedure with negotiation, for a Design and Build contract.

REASONS FOR DECISIONS

To enable the project to continue to be developed to the next stage. The report included indicative capital and revenue implications. In the longer term the project seeks to deliver revenue savings through an “invest to save” approach resulting in a reduction in revenue costs when the Council retenders the leisure operator contract.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REASONS FOR REJECTION

The alternative option of not doing anything was not recommended as the Leisure Facilities Review had allowed the Council to understand the appropriateness of its current leisure stock and future requirements. The provision of an effective facility infrastructure will be central to the successful delivery of the health and wellbeing objectives within the Corporate Plan and to achieving savings through the leisure contract.

The Interim Director of Place and Communities submitted a report to update Cabinet on the Leisure Transformation Programme and to seek authorisation to proceed with the next steps towards delivering a new flagship leisure destination at the current Festival Hall site, Kirkby-in-Ashfield.

The report noted that part of the Council’s vision was for local people to have access to modern leisure facilities in order to help them to lead healthier lifestyles. In order to enable this a clear approach to providing facilities had been identified including investment and rationalising the use of the Council’s assets, alongside coordinated provision from other sources to help meet this vision. In order to achieve the Council’s vision, Key Projects had been identified within the Corporate Plan, one of which was to carry out a Leisure Facilities Review and secondly, to explore the feasibility for a replacement for the Festival Hall Leisure Centre.

The officer’s report provided information on:

· the processes gone through to establish that the new centre should be built on the current Festival Hall site.

· potential costs and opportunities to access external funding.

· the proposed facility mix, including a 25m Pool with flexible floor and separate Leisure Water.

· the economic and health benefits that the new centre would deliver.

Members of Cabinet welcomed the proposals that would bring a swimming pool to Kirkby-in-Ashfield for the first time and noted that it would be a great community asset that would also attract visitors to the town centre. Members also noted that the new centre would lead to increased participation in sport and physical activity, and consequently would have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of local residents. The Leader thanked officers for the considerable work that they had done in progressing the plans for the new centre to the current stage and noted that the new centre would be part of a high quality leisure offer across the district.

RESOLVED