Plans for a new Perth leisure centre will be decided in September with the proposals set to be made public later this month.
The idea for the facility – dubbed PH20 by Perth and Kinross Council – will be put before councillors on September 4.
The Courier understands that options for the future of Bell’s Sports Centre will also be presented at the meeting.
A fresh proposal for the new centre has been in the works since January when councillors rejected plans for a facility that did not include leisure swimming or ice rink features.
Leisure swimming most popular facility
It is hoped the new facility will merge the existing Perth Leisure Pool, Dewars Centre and Bell’s Sports Centre into one complex.
The idea was first mooted back in 2014 but has so far failed to come to fruition.
January’s proposal was met with a huge backlash from sports clubs, including curling and swimming teams, and the general public.
Rejecting the proposal, councillors asked for a new plan to be drawn up that caters for both leisure swimming and curling.
The Courier conducted our own public consultation which found that leisure swimming was the number one priority among people in Perth.
Lane swimming was the second most popular activity in our survey.
We also conducted an investigation which showed the Fair City had the lowest number of pool hours available for leisure swimmers in all cities across Tayside, Fife and Stirling.
Lack of consultation in Bell’s closure
Perth’s leisure output was thrown into further turmoil in May when councillors signed off a proposal from Live Active Leisure (LAL) to close down the facility.
LAL – which runs the local authority’s sports complexes – wanted to shut the flood-hit centre due a combination of operational costs, future flooding fears and a lack of insurance cover.
The deeply unpopular decision, which was taken without consulting the general public or sports clubs, was met with anger and shock.
The Courier revealed that leisure bosses may have also failed to hold a consultation into the closure against independent advice.
The closure spelled the end of indoor bowling in Perth and put many other court sports at risk.
LAL also failed to carry out a consultation with any group at risk of discrimination, despite knowing the move would affect elderly players and those with disabilities.
Protective status issues for buildings
A further issue surrounding the closure of Bell’s was raised when part of the building was given B-listed status by Historic Environment Scotland (HES) in April.
A similar proposal for Perth Leisure Pool is still under consideration by the cultural preservation agency.
David Littlejohn, the head of strategy at the local authority who wrote the report recommending the closure of Bell’s, is stepping down from his role and will leave the council in September.
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