Council funding could hold the key for an ambitious £25 million leisure project that could provide Perth and Kinross with a much needed state-of-the-art facility.
The makeover for the PH20 facility, which is designed to give Perth Leisure Pool and the Dewars Centre a new lease of life, is ready to roll if a funding gap can be bridged.
New Live Active Leisure (LAL) chair Mike Robinson confirmed talks with Perth and Kinross Council over borrowing options will shape the final development. And he emphasised that in order to deliver PH20 in its “full form” it requires further finance.
“We always hoped we could convince Perth and Kinross Council to invest further or to assist us to borrow to bridge any gap,” he said.
“However, we also need to be clear about the best and most cost effective way for LAL and the council to borrow any shortfall. There is a big decision for the board to make and further discussions required with the council and other funders.
“We have been exhaustive in looking for money. We have support but fundamentally it comes down to where the biggest investment is coming from.
“In many other public leisure developments of this scale, the majority of funding is provided by the local authority who would typically be the building owner, therefore approaching funders has proven more challenging on that basis.
“Whilst we do need more funding support than has been committed, I don’t believe the funding gap is as much as £15 million because we have had some other indications of support which will be possible to pursue when the funding picture becomes clearer.”
And Mr Robinson emphasised the importance of the leisure project to Perth and Kinross.
“PH2O is a really obvious opportunity,” he added.
“It is basically ‘shovel-ready’ as a project and could provide Perth with a much needed injection, an economic stimulus and something exciting that people can get behind.
“This could take a facility which is 30-years-old and a little bit tired and transform it into something even more exciting again. It is an absolutely critical facility in terms of maintaining Perth’s quality of life, meeting the needs and aspirations of our communities and also keeping down our energy and other costs.”
He continued: “Everywhere seems to be investing in swimming pools and the wide-ranging benefits they bring. In Perth though, we have one pool which is a critical facility for the whole area and we shouldn’t be prepared to accept that it will slowly decline.
“We must invest and make it the best it can be. We have to make it exciting enough that it is tailored to modern demands and continues to draw people in big numbers.”
