Bell’s Sports Centre campaigners have doubled down on their opposition to the controversial PH2O leisure centre at Thimblerow.
Perth and Kinross Council unveiled new designs for a £74 million venue, with added leisure water and indoor flumes, on Wednesday.
But representatives from a number of Perth and Kinross sporting groups gave the proposals the thumbs-down when they staged a protest outside the Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool on Thursday.
The group included curlers, boxers, and members of the Fair City Rollers roller derby team, as well as Perth residents.
They said the council’s revised proposals for Thimblerow were “cobbled together and not fit for purpose”.
And they urged councillors to heed their plea to re-open Bell’s Sports Centre as an indoor venue when they meet next week.
Council has different plans for Bell’s Sports Centre
The full council will consider the revised Thimblerow plans next Wednesday.
A £61m scheme, featuring swimming, sports courts, indoor play and other facilities, was approved last year.
But following an outcry over the lack of space for leisure swimming, bosses have come back with fresh designs which include a “fun leisure water” area with flumes.
The £74m proposal is part of a larger package of sports and leisure investment across Perth and Kinross.
It also includes £10m to turn Bell’s Sports Centre into an unheated event space with sports pitches.
The building has been closed since October 2023 when it suffered catastrophic damage after the North Inch floodgates were left open.
Another £13.2m would be spent on upgrading the swimming pools in Crieff and Kinross.
And following the construction of the new PH2O centre at Thimblerow, the existing Perth Leisure Pool would be demolished.
The plan then is for Capability Scotland to move its homes and services for 60 adults with complex and severe needs onto the Glover Street site.
The charity has been looking to relocate from its current base at Upper Springland for some time and says the central Perth location is perfect for the needs of its residents and 230 staff.
Crunch time for Bell’s and other Perth sports centres
At least one former sceptic, Labour councillor Alasdair Bailey, has said he now supports the revised PH2O plan.
“It’s been a long journey,” he posted on Facebook.
“But I’m really pleased to see that the tide has turned and that real leisure facilities for families and teens are proposed once more for the new pool.”
However, the Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network (PKCSN), which represents 12 sporting bodies in the area, remains opposed.
It has come up with its own business plan to run Bell’s Sports Centre as an indoor venue.
Members also want a new Perth Leisure Pool built next to the existing one beside the Dewars Centre.
Spokesman Dave Munro said: “The whole council thing has been cobbled together. It doesn’t make any sense. Bell’s could be repurposed for a fraction of the cost.”
Fellow campaigner Bill Powrie claimed there was overwhelming public support for the group’s goal of reopening Bell’s.
And David Hay, representing curlers, said there was no appetite for the council’s plan to hand the Dewars Centre over to them to run it themselves.
“Perth curlers don’t want Dewars under the conditions they’re proposing,” he said.
Public urged to make voices heard
The campaigners hope to address the full council when it meets on Wednesday morning.
And they are inviting members of the public to join them for a second protest outside the council chambers from 9am.
The Courier has been campaigning for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling.
Conversation