The original estimated cost of a new Perth leisure centre has been revealed in council emails obtained by The Courier.
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request for communications between council bosses involved in the project shows the local authority was given an indicative price of between £67m and £70m in February 2022.
That same month, councillors agreed to put aside £90m in the capital budget to build the complex.
However the project never got off the ground with the local authority stalling on the plan 12 months later amid rising costs.
The price tag of between £67m and £70m was for a new centre that included an ice rink but did not feature leisure water.
In January this year, a proposal went before councillors to build a new facility without either an ice rink or leisure pool.
The complex would replace Dewars Centre, Bell’s Sports Centre and Perth Leisure Pool.
Public backlash to plans
Following a huge public backlash, the idea was rejected by elected members and those behind the project were told to come back with a new plan in August.
The report that contained the new facility proposal was written by Fiona Robertson, the former head of culture and community services at Perth and Kinross Council.
She left her post earlier this year.
On January 16 2024, Ms Robertson revealed in an email the original indicative cost the local authority had been given for a new facility – known as PH20 within the council.
Fiona Robertson wrote: “Finally, you ask about indicative capital cost for a smaller PH20.
“At this stage we can’t put a figure on it for reasons above.
“We looked at a smaller PH20 option when we wrote the OBC [Outline Business Case].
“This did have ice but no leisure water and had an indicative cost (Feb 2022) of £67-70M.”
Another missed opportunity?
The local authority told The Courier the project had been put on hold in February 2023, a year after they knew the estimated bill, due to rising costs brought on by inflation.
The rate of inflation peaked in October 2022 at 11.1%, and sat at 10.4% in February 2023.
The council also admitted they sacrificed progress on the new leisure centre to focus on other projects like the controversial Cross Tay Link Road.
Accusations of “missed opportunities” have long been directed at the council over their handling of the new leisure centre which was first mooted over a decade ago.
Mike Robinson, a former chairman of Live Active Leisure – the organisation that oversees the council’s leisure provision – told The Courier the project should have been included in the 2017 Tay Cities Deal.
The Courier has launched a campaign, Protect Perth Leisure, urging council bosses to be ambitious and to build a complex that meets the needs of the city.
What the council says
Perth and Kinross Council says they appraised a number of options for a new facility.
“In February 2022, councillors approved a preferred option with an outline cost of £90m,” said a council spokesperson.
“Shortly afterwards construction inflation and borrowing costs dramatically escalated due to global factors.
“All council capital projects which had not started were therefore reviewed and a revised capital investment strategy was approved in February 2023.”
They added: “PH20 (in any form) was formally paused at this stage because even at a reduced scale and cost, officers’ view was that it should not proceed at that time given the significant market uncertainty and risk about rising costs.
“This was also in the context of other major priorities including Blairgowrie Recreation Centre, Perth High School and the Cross Tay Link Road.”
Conversation