Long-awaited £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre to open in July
After numerous delays and setbacks, the new £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is finally expected to open mid-July.
On Wednesday, June 18 PKC's strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford told the Finance and Resources Committee issues with the leaking pool had now been resolved.
The news has been warmly welcomed, particularly by the three ward councillors for Blairgowrie and Glens.
Work got under way on the replacement centre back in June 2023 - after the project was continually held up. Brexit, the COVID pandemic, a drainage issue and market volatility caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine were all blamed for delays.
Scotland's first ultra-low energy swimming pool and recreation centre was scheduled to open in December 2024. However, it was agreed it would open early 2025 to avoid disruption to Blairgowrie High School's prelim timetable with pupils sitting exams there both before and after the Christmas holidays.
But once the swimming pool was filled, several leaks were discovered and contractors have spent the past few months working to resolve the issue.
On Wednesday, PKC's strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford announced the good news to councillors.
He said: "The pool is now full and we're working through commissioning of the centre - hopefully to get handover mid-July."
He assured councillors they would seek to "minimise" disruption whilst the old centre on Beeches Road - which is over 40 years old - closes down and the new one, built next to it and Blairgowrie High School, opens.
Mr Crawford said: "We'd originally talked about a period of two weeks but we will try and make the period of non-delivery of services as small as possible - moving staff across from the existing facility, getting them trained, familiar and ready to open."
The state-of-the-art facility has a: six-lane 25-metre swimming pool with a movable floor; four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; fitness suite; dance studio; changing facilities; PE classroom, office and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch has also been developed as part of the project.
It has been hailed as being Scotland's first leisure centre to be built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards. for the use of both Blairgowrie High School and the wider community.
All three local councillors were excited to hear the news.
SNP Blairgowrie and Glens ward councillor Tom McEwan - who was at Wednesday's meeting - said: "It was great to hear an update today from council officers that issues around the pool liner and water leakage were now looking to be at an end. This will allow the delayed commissioning of the centre by Live Active Leisure in preparation for opening in the coming weeks.
"The final phase of the process is to remove the redundant old building and finish new parking and landscaping, which - in my understanding - will start in the Autumn.
"The residents of Blairgowrie and Rattray, the wider East Perthshire area which the High School serves, have waited many more years than was necessary for this new sports and leisure facility. Ensuring the financing for the centre was confirmed and the project could start was in the SNP administration's first capital budget, as we were aware that continued delay was not an option.
"The new centre in Blairgowrie is an amazing facility which will add to the wider sports and leisure facilities in Perth and Kinross, newly approved in the council's capital programme."
Blairgowrie and Glens Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers said: "I am very pleased that finally we are heading towards an opening date. I fully understand how frustrating this final delay has been. I know everyone is excited to be able to use the new facility.
"I raised an issue with officers of the impact of the delay on the plans for demolishing the existing facility and enabling parking to be created in that space. It is important this is carried out in a way that means minimal disruption to residents who live in the area around the school and recreation centre. I welcome the ongoing discussions with officers about this and I am confident Mr Crawford and his team will take this into consideration with the contractors."
Having had a sneak preview, Conservative ward councillor Bob Brawn believes the new centre will be "worth waiting on".
He said: "I'm pleased to hear that we seem to finally have a date for the formal handover for the new recreation centre and thereby a date to formally open it.
"This has been a long time coming, not least because of the recent problems around a leak in the swimming pool. Obviously, PKC would not take on an asset that still had problems within its structure.
"From what I've seen of the building in previous months, this new recreation centre will be something that has been worth waiting on, to be proud of – for the school and residents and visitors alike. Undoubtedly, this will be a great draw across all of East Perthshire and hopefully beyond."
Earlier this year council leader Grant Laing - who described the catalogue of delays as "extremely frustrating" - asked PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee to undertake a review of the issues that have led to the delays.
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