Latest news with #PH2O
The Courier
11-06-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
New Perth leisure pool - with flumes - in new £74m PH2O plan for Thimblerow
A leisure pool – with indoor flumes – has been added to the design for Perth's new PH2O centre. The £74 million plan for the controversial Thimblerow leisure development will be put to councillors next week. It is part of a package of measures intended to finally kickstart the long-delayed PH2O leisure centre. If approved, the existing Perth Leisure Pool would be demolished. This would allow the charity Capability Scotland to relocate its Upper Springland homes and services for people with complex and severe needs to the site off Glover Street. The new proposal also includes a £13.2m investment in the public swimming baths in Crieff and Kinross. And another £10m would be spent on turning Bell's Sports Centre into an unheated multi-use venue and removing RAAC and asbestos from the building. Councillors will be asked to vote on the package when the full council meets on Wednesday. A protest is planned for outside the council chambers in Perth ahead of the session. But council leader Grant Laing will urge colleagues to back the plan, saying every delay to PH2O is costing taxpayers more money. 'This isn't just about Perth city centre,' he said. 'It's about delivering for communities right across Perth and Kinross.' Councillors approved a new PH2O leisure centre at Thimblerow, off the old High Street, last year. But there was anger at the lack of provision for leisure swimming in the £61m plan. Officers were asked to go back to the drawing board and look at ways to include it in the mix. And two revised designs for the three-storey venue will be put to the vote on Wednesday. Councillors will be advised to opt for the more costly one, containing a larger 'fun leisure water' area with internal flumes up to 5.5 metres. The £74m package also includes: • a 25m, eight-lane swimming pool with movable floor; • a 12.5m x 8.5m teaching pool • holiday and weekend inflatables in the main pool; • an indoor play area (featuring clip n' climb/soft play or other family play activity); • a six-court games hall; • fitness gym; • flexible studio space; • a cafe. Officers predict this mix could attract 439,491 visits a year, compared to 380,143 without the leisure water and flumes. The budget originally set aside for PH2O amounts to £90m. Councillors will be told that will cover this plan, plus the bulk of the additional investment in Bell's and the pools at Kinross and the Strathearn campus in Crieff. Protesters have called for the new PH2O leisure centre to be built on the site of the existing Perth Leisure Pool at Glover Street instead. But the council says building at Thimblerow will encourage families into Perth city centre, boosting shops and businesses there. It would also allow the existing leisure pool to stay open until the new one is ready. And demolishing the old pool will free up the land at Glover Street for a mix of housing. Capability Scotland approached Perth and Kinross Council after the new plans emerged. Its supported accommodation at Upper Springland is at high risk of flooding and is showing its age. The charity had been considering a move to Bertha Park. But that plan has proved too costly. And it now wants to partner with the council and bring 60 new homes for adults with complex and severe needs, plus 230 staff, to Glover Street instead. Supporters say the site offers many benefits, including its convenience for public transport, medical appointments, shops and other attractions. The PH2O plans have been on the drawing board since 2014. They were mothballed in 2023 due to soaring costs, before the Thimblerow option emerged last year. Councillors will have to weigh whether there's enough in the new deal to satisfy campaigners, who have been demanding the council retain the existing leisure pool, reopen Bell's as it was, and keep Thimblerow as a car park. • The Courier has been campaigning for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling. Talks are ongoing, which could lead to local curlers taking over the running of the Dewars Centre next door to the existing Perth Leisure Pool.
The Courier
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Courier
Protests to be held in Perth against council's Thimblerow leisure centre plans
Protests against the local authority's plans to build a new leisure centre at Thimblerow car park are to be held in Perth. Campaigners will stage two rallies over two weeks against the widely unpopular proposals for PH2O and Bell's Sports Centre. The first protest is to be held outside Perth Leisure Pool and Dewars Centre on Glover Street at 10am on Thursday June 12. The second will take place at 9am on Wednesday June 18 outside the local authority's offices. Campaigners are staging that second rally before the 10am meeting to be held in the council chambers at 2 High Street that will decide the future of both facilities. The protest are expected to be attended by campaigners from across Perth's sporting landscape, including indoor sports and curling. Residents, clubs and swimmers have been left furious at the local authority's plans to build a watered-down facility at Thimblerow without a dedicated leisure pool. The council also hope to turn Bell's Sports Centre into an unheated arena with artificial pitches – although no final decision has been taken. Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network (PKCSN), who are against the plans, want people to join the protests. Nearly 3,800 people have signed a petition to save Bell's. Bill Powrie, a spokesperson for the group, said: 'It would appear that the council has made up its mind to close Bell's for indoor sports and other community activities and has decided to knock down the leisure pool at [Glover Street] and replace it with 147 affordable homes. 'Then build a sports facility on the busiest car park in Perth and build a new swimming pool with no leisure swimming. 'Given that Bell's has 22 courts, this plan represents a watering down of sport and leisure facilities for the community. 'Please come along and show your support for our collective campaign and let council know that this plan is not wanted by the people of Perth and Kinross.' The local authority and Live Active Leisure (LAL) have come in for widespread criticism for both the plans and the way they have been handled. Concerns have been raised over a lack of studies and consultation on the ideas. The Courier has been campaigning to Protect Perth Leisure and Say No to Thimblerow. The plans for the future of Perth's leisure facilities will go before councillors again on June 18. A spokesperson for the local authority said: 'Councillors approved plans to create Thimblerow in September 2024 and will decide on proposals for additional leisure water next week. 'These were determined by the results of our Transformation Review of Leisure Assets, which considered the most popular areas of participation and how we can provide accessible, affordable and sustainable leisure provision for residents across all of Perth and Kinross. 'Council also, in line with agreed policy to prioritise affordable housing when disposing of land or buildings, agreed to build affordable homes on the Glover Street site once PH20 is complete.' They said that options for Bell's are still being considered following the public consultation.
Daily Record
28-04-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Perth's new sports centre PH2O "at least five years away"
The head of Live Active Leisure understands Perth's new swimming pool and leisure centre will not be ready within the next five years. Chief executive Paul Cromwell told councillors this week - as far as he was aware - the long-awaited PH2O was "at least five years away". The revelation was made at a meeting of Perth and Kinross Council's Scrutiny and Performance Committee on Wednesday, April 23. The Live Active Leisure boss was providing an update to councillors, alongside the council's two other arm's length external organisations - Culture Perth and Kinross and Perth Theatre and Concert Hall. Cllr Willie Robertson asked Mr Cromwell if the gym facilities - which were moved from Bell's Sports Centre to Dewars Centre last year - were permanent or if they would be reusable at PH2O. Mr Cromwell said: "I suppose to a certain degree, there is the potential still of a blank canvas in that it could be converted into something else with suitable investment. "Obviously, we have made changing rooms which will be a permanent fixture going forward. "I'm not going to labour on PH2O but it is still at least five years away, to my knowledge. "So, in terms of the investment, it's been significant in the facilities and I think that's reflected in the quality of what we're providing and the success of it in the short time it's been open. "You've got a space there which could be converted quite easily. In terms of equipment, we can obviously pick that equipment up and move that to somewhere else so that investment is still there as well." Live Active Leisure opened the gym and fitness studios at Dewars Centre in September 2024. The decision to relocate the facilities from Bell's Sports Centre to Dewars Centre was taken after Bell's Sports Centre suffered around £2 million of flood damage on October 8, 2023 when floodgates on the North Inch were left open. The 100+ state-of-the-art gym at Bell's had only just opened 15 months prior to the flooding, after a £750,000 revamp. Plans for Perth's replacement swimming and leisure centre PH2O were first floated 10 years ago but the project has been repeatedly shelved by Perth and Kinross Council since then. In September 2024 councillors voted to approve a watered down £61 million PH2O proposal be built at Thimblerow. It would replace Perth Leisure Pool and the now closed Bell's Sports Centre. Perth Leisure Pool would be demolished and affordable housing built on its Glover Street site, upon completion of PH2O. Dewars Centre would remain in situ. Councillors voted to engage with the curling community on the possibility of curling bodies running Dewars Centre for a next-to-nothing rent. The proposal approved last September would see PH2O feature an eight-lane 25m pool, 12.5m x 8.5m teaching pool (both with movable floors), a toddler splash pad area, an indoor play area (potential Clip n' Climb or other family play activity), games hall, gym, studios and café. As opposed to a purpose-built leisure pool, it would have "family-friendly" swimming of programmed weekend/holiday inflatable sessions. However the "watered down" £61 million energy-efficient proposal has been strongly criticised. There has also been strong opposition to Perth's new sports centre being built on the site of a busy city centre car park. A Say No to Thimblerow petition - which currently has around 2500 signatures - has called for the new complex to include: a purpose-built leisure pool with flumes, kids' splash park, a 25m six/eight-lane training pool, ice rink, large commercial gym, fitness studios, sports halls and a large bowling hall/events hall. When setting the council's budget - in February 2025 - councillors voted to retain £90 million in the PH2O budget to allow financial flexibility to potentially splash out on additional facilities. On June 18, councillors will meet to consider Perth's future leisure options. Council officers will present a report to elected members outlining feedback from the Bell's Sports Centre consultation and proposals for its future, leisure water options for PH2O and an update on the feasibility of a community-led ice sports facility at Dewars Centre.
The Courier
25-04-2025
- Sport
- The Courier
Perth's Dewars gym on course to beat Bell's Sports Centre numbers
The new gym at Perth's Dewars Centre is shaping up to be even more popular than its predecessor at Bell's Sports Centre. Live Active Leisure (LAL) bosses say there have been almost 100,000 visits since its launch last September. Dewars, the centre for curling in Perth, became home to a 100-station gym, plus two fitness studios, after the previous facilities at Bell's were wrecked in the October 2023 floodgates fiasco. LAL chief executive Paul Cromwell briefed councillors on the state of play at Dewars this week. Latest figures show there have been 98,725 visits to the gym and fitness studios. A total of 4,358 different customers aged 11-90 have used them. One in four were aged 11-17, and one in 10 was over 64. And a number of future and current Olympic and Commonwealth athletes have been making use of the fitness facilities. Mr Cromwell says the figures are 'really positive'. 'On average, we're looking at 16,000 usages per month,' he said. 'They're on target to exceed the figures we achieved when the new fitness facilities opened at Bell's.' Mr Cromwell updated Perth and Kinross Council's scrutiny and performance committee on Wednesday. He said Dewars was delivering for a wide range of people, as well as elite sports men and women. 'We have over 40 athletes receiving strength and conditioning training to help them in their sports,' he said. 'Their sports include hockey, curling, basketball, swimming, judo, football and athletics, to name but a few.' And he added: 'The fact we have got better numbers than what was a really good facility at Bell's gives us a clear reflection that people are enjoying the facilities.' Bell's Sports Centre suffered around £2 million of flood damage on October 8, 2023 after the floodgates on the North Inch were left open. Its gym and fitness studios had only just opened the previous summer following a £750,000 revamp. The indoor bowling rink at Dewars had to be removed to make way for the gym gear. Both the Dewars and Bell's centres are facing uncertain futures after councillors approved plans for a new PH2O leisure centre on the site of Thimblerow car park in the city centre. Campaigners want the new venue to be built at Glover Street, the current home of the Dewars Centre and Perth Leisure Pool. Sports groups are also opposing the council's plan to turn Bell's into an unheated event space with indoor pitches. Councillors will re-examine the plans for PH2O, Dewars and Bell's in June. • The Courier has campaigned for an ambitious new leisure complex in Perth that caters for all sports, including leisure swimming and curling.
