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Agenda item

Update on the Provision of New Swimming Facilities in Shrewsbury

Report to Follow

Minutes:

39.1  The Local Commissioning Manager introduced the Shrewsbury Swimming Pool – Update report.  Members noted that the work was on-going on the development of future swimming provision within Shrewsbury and it was noted that the public consultation period had been extended and there had been strong engagement with it from both the public and stakeholders.  He continued that he was encouraged by the strong interest in the consultation as this should lead to robust outcomes.

 

39.2  Members were referred to pages 6 and 7 of the report where the Stakeholder Engagement and Main Comments were set out.  He explained that more work needed to be undertaken with the stakeholders to draw together their comments.  He continued that the information received had been rich and it was important to fully understand all the comments made, which may require the employment of specialists with technical expertise. 

 

39.3  The Local Commissioning Manager confirmed that a report would be considered by Cabinet Members in Spring 2016. 

 

39.4  A Member commented that the swimming pool had greater significance than just being a facility to enable swimming.  He continued that relocation out of the town centre would have huge social and economic consequences as well as impacting on the character of the town.  He continued that he had concerns that the consultants employed on the project did not show an understanding that 90% of people using the facility accessed it by foot or bike and that should be preserved.  He queried the need for a large underground carpark, stating that encouraging car use would add to the traffic problems within the town centre.  The Director of Commissioning stated that respondents to the consultation had raised these issues and they were being considered.

 

39.5  A Member asked whether consideration had been given to the increased number of students who would be resident in the town following the establishment of the University Centre Shrewsbury and their potential use of the pool.  The Director of Commissioning responded that a recognised facilities planning model had been used to understand demand and this had factored in population growth.  It was recognised that this data may need to be refreshed to align the input data with SAMdev proposals, and projected University Centre growth.

 

39.6  Members queried the financial predictions contained in the report and suggested that it was unrealistic to expect that all current gym members would transfer their membership to a location out of the town.  The Director of Commissioning confirmed that the primary driver was swimming provision.

 

39.7  Members expressed concern that population growth projections contained within the report only went to 2026 and that it was unlikely that the pool would be completed until 2021. Members queried whether the proposed 2 pool model would be sufficient to meet demand should the population continue to grow past 2026.  The Director of Commissioning explained that the report noted the requirement for more work on the financial projections.  He continued that the report was aligned to SAMDev which went to 2026 and data beyond this point was not available.  He added that he was confident that the facility would be completed before the 2021 date suggested by a Member.

 

39.8  In response to a Member’s request the Director of Commissioning agreed to provide the raw data from the surveys, provided it did not conflict with the requirements of the Data Protection Act. 

 

39.9  In reply to a Member’s query about dates for aterations to the final report, the Director of Commissioning explained that further analysis had to be done on the questionnaire responses as well as the collection of other information to ensure the accuracy of all the details contained in the final report. It was anticipated that this would require an additional six weeks. 

 

39.10  A Member commented that Shrewsbury’s population was around 75,000 but only 25,000 used Shrewsbury’s swimming pool, and 75% of current users favoured the facility remaining in the town.  He continued that the majority of residents were not using the pool.  Referring to the obesity crisis, he asked that if the facility remained within the town centre what steps would be taken to attract more people from outside the town centre to use it. The Director of Commissioning responded that the Council would work with Shropshire Community Leisure Trust to encourage users.

 

39.11  In response to a Member’s comment the Director of Commissioning explained that Cabinet would make the final decision based on a number of facts:

Cost to build and run;

Accessibility;

Economic impact; and

Participation.

 

39.12 A Member queried whether the proposed two pool model would cater for the same range of users and provide the same level of service available with the current facility.

 

39.13 RESOLVED:

          That the Environment and Services Scrutiny Committee continue to scrutinise the proposals for the development of future swimming provision within Shrewsbury as the continues in 2016.

Supporting documents:

 

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