Agenda item

Leisure Strategy - Capital Development Programme

Decision:

(a) Arbour Park community sports facility (CSF)

i. That the phased development of the CSF and funding for Phase 2, detailed in Appendix 1 of the report be agreed.

ii. That the operating recommendations for the CSF set out in Appendix 1 of the report be noted; taking account of the need to put in place temporary management arrangements up to June 2017.

(b) New Leisure Centre, Farnham Road (Centre site)

i. That the design, facility mix and timescales for delivery of the new leisure centre, detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, be agreed in principle and that the Strategic Director of Customer & Community Services be given delegated authority to finalise the design and facilities mix following consultation with the Leader & Commissioner for Finance & Strategy; Commissioner for Community & Leisure and Commissioner for Neighbourhoods & Renewal.

ii. That the funding detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, for the development of the new leisure centre is agreed.

iii. That options for the future operation and management of the new leisure centre detailed in Appendix 2 to the report be noted.

i. That the design, facility mix, funding and timescales for the refurbishment works for the ice arena development be agreed in principle, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report, and that the Strategic Director of Customer & Community Services be given delegated authority to finalise the design and facilities mix following consultation with the Leader & Commissioner for Finance & Strategy; Commissioner for Community & Leisure and Commissioner for Neighbourhoods & Renewal.

(d) That the development of Phase 2 of the CSF, permission to commence on the development of the leisure centre and Slough Ice Arena be recommended for approval by Full Council on 26th January 2016.

Minutes:

The Cabinet received a comprehensive presentation from Officers, Slough Urban Renewal and consultants on the proposals to deliver Phase 2 of the Arbour Park community sports facility (CSF), a new leisure centre at The Centre site on Farnham Road and the major refurbishment of the Ice Arena.

(Councillors Parmar and Hussain joined the meeting)

The proposed investment in the core leisure facilities was an important part of the wider Leisure Strategy to get “more people, more active, more often”. The estimated total cost of the three schemes was £33.4m and Commissioners attention was drawn to the financial implications in terms of funding the capital investment and the indicative revenue costs as detailed fully in the report. The Council’s current leisure contract was due for renewal on 1^st June 2017 and it was noted that whilst consideration was being given to the scope of the contract, it was anticipated that the CSF, new leisure centre and refurbished ice arena would sit within the new contract. It was recommended that the Council operate the CSF in house for the period up to June 2017 when the new leisure provider would take over operational management of the facility.

Work on Phase 1 of Arbour Park CSF was underway and was scheduled to be completed by 15^th August 2016 to enable Slough Town Football Club to play home matches from the start of the 2016/17 football season. Phase 2 would deliver the first floor accommodation of the main stand to provide covered seating and the hospitality facilities. The design would deliver a high quality facility providing flexible space including a function room with capacity to seat 160 people, suitable for a range of community uses as well as matchday facilities. The construction of Phase 2 would not interrupt the opening and operation of Phase 1 from August 2016.

The proposals were presented for the new leisure centre on the Farnham Road Centre site to replace the existing Montem Leisure Centre. A masterplan for the site had been undertaken in partnership with Slough Urban Renewal for a phased approach including a new leisure centre with residential development and potentially a health centre at a later stage. The leisure centre was scheduled to be delivered in the autumn of 2018 and was proposed to include an 8 lane swimming pool with separate training pool, 5 court sports hall, 132 station gym, 3 exercise studios, dry and wet side changing facilities, facilities for consultation/treatment rooms, a café and car parking. The total capital funding package for this development was £17.8m. The earliest demolition of Montem Leisure Centre would minimise the cost of essential repairs and maintenance and allow the proposed residential scheme on the site which would generate a significant capital receipt.

The design of the refurbished ice arena would create an extended and more active frontage onto Bath Road. The capital cost of £7.7m included the extension to the building frontage, external cladding, new refrigeration and heating systems, new seating, a new reception and café area as well as major improvements and redecoration to the internal facilities. Full consideration had been given to the future provision of ice in the borough, and it was found that the ice arena served a wide catchment and was a particularly popular facility for young people, including females, whose levels of activity were important priorities in the delivery of the wider leisure strategy.

The Commissioner for Community & Leisure commented that the renewal of core facilities provided a significant opportunity to get more people, more active and highlighted that the costs of physical inactivity were very high in Slough both in terms of the health impacts on residents and the costs to public bodies in term of health, care and community safety. It was felt that the quality and accessibility of the facilities would promote high usage. Commissioners asked a number of questions about the proposals for each of the facilities including the capacity and flexibility of the function room at Arbour Park and whether any contingency arrangements were in place if the timetables for Phase 2 Arbour Park and the Ice Arena slipped, given the potential consequences for the availability of the facilities. It was responded that measures were in place to adhere to the timetable and that Arbour Park would be able to open on completion of Phase 1. In relation to the ice arena, further survey work was required to fully understand the exact refurbishment requirements and this would provide confidence that the planned timetable was realistic.

Several Commissioners suggested additional facilities that could be incorporated into the schemes within the overall financial envelope, such as a sauna and jacuzzi in the leisure centre and mini-gyms at the ice arena and Arbour Park to increase local provision. Commissioners also requested that further consideration be given to alternative design options within the overarching concept of the leisure centre and ice arena. It was therefore agreed that the design, facility mix and timescale for the leisure centre and ice arena be agreed in principle, and that the finalisation of the design and facility mix be delegated to the Strategic Director for Customer and Community Services following consultation with the lead commissioners. The proposals for Phase 2 of Arbour Park were agreed in line with the recommendations set out in the report, and it was agreed to recommend the development of each of the three schemes to full Council for approval on 26^th January 2016.

Recommended –