A former chairman of Live Active Leisure has blamed missed opportunities for the ‘diluted half project’ being considered for PH20 in Perth.
Mike Robinson, who joined the organisation in 2011, believes a lack of decision making has resulted is the cost-saving scheme being put before councillors on Monday.
The original concept, first put forward in 2014, promised to cater for 20 sports and would include an ice-rink, swimming pool, gymnasium and outdoor climbing wall.
PH20 was going replace the “ageing” Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre, attracting 250,000 visitors to the area each year.
The current proposals by council bosses would see ice rink and leisure swimming facilities axed in Perth as they try to merge Dewars Centre, Perth Leisure Pool and Bell’s Sports Centre.
“The fundamental problem with all of this is, there is an issue with the speed of decision making [by Perth and Kinross Council],” Mr Robinson told The Courier.
“I was involved in a project for a decade, winning popular support and public support, and they failed to make a decision.
“They could have made the decision a long time ago and it would have cost less and we would have it by now – it would have been open.”
PH20 ‘was shovel ready’
The former chairman, who left LAL in 2021, points to missed opportunities like the Tay Cities Deal in 2017 which saw PH20 overlooked in favour of project like the Cross Tay Link Road (CTLR) and Perth Museum.
“You can’t put everything in to a deal, so I suppose it’s as simple as that but it was a shame because it was shovel ready,” he said.
“You want a project that is ready to go and PH20 was probably one of the most shovel ready in the area at that time.”
He said it would be a “travesty” to move forward with the current proposals that would see curling, bowling and leisure swimming facilities disappear.
“I cannot really believe that anyone would countenance a Perth and Kinross that didn’t have a pool and didn’t have an ice-rink and didn’t have basic sports facilities,” said the former chairman.
‘Flagship’ projects needed in Perth
Despite a decade of setbacks, Mr Robinson still believes a “flagship” PH20 that caters for all sports and activities is still what the city needs and wants.
“Perth really could do with a few big flagship projects that people can get behind.
“I really think we could do with something to look forward to and PH20 could be that – it nearly was that.
“I think it could be again – but it’s not going to be if it’s a diluted half project that’s not going to keep anybody happy.”
On Friday, Perth and Kinross Council leader Grant Laing said he would seek cross-party support to save ice rink and leisure pool facilities.
Councillors will meet on Monday to thrash out a way to move the project forward – but Mr Robinson says he has seen this situation before.
“Unfortunately the only conversation the council is having right now is what can we cut to keep within the budget – and that’s been the same conversation for 15 years,” he said.
“At one point it was approved by the council but it was retracted after that.
“So all the work we had done in winning popular support for it, making politicians aware of why it was so necessary, was universally understood.
“But soon after the approval there was a council election and a lot of the new councillors wanted to question the thing all over again and it went almost back to square one.”
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