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Daily Record
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Delayed Blairgowrie Recreation Centre set to open at end of August
The full opening, including leak-hit swimming pool, will take place on Friday August 29. The opening date for Blairgowrie Recreation Centre has been set for the end of this month following a series of setbacks including a leaky swimming pool. But Blairgowrie High School pupils will only have access to the 'dry side' of the building when they return on August 22. The full opening, including the swimming pool, will take place the following Friday August 29. The state-of-the-art £36m centre had been due to open in December 2024, but it was put back to early 2025 to avoid disruption to Blairgowrie High School's prelim exam timetable. Construction work commenced in June 2023 to replace the existing Beeches Road centre following hold ups blamed on Brexit, the Covid pandemic, a drainage issue and market volatility caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Once the swimming pool - which has a moveable floor – was filled, several leaks were discovered and contractors spent months working to resolve the issue. Despite this the long-awaited handover – which councillors had been told in June to expect to take place in mid July – did not go ahead due to a leaking pool liner. PKC announced this week that the centre will fully open to the public on Friday August 29. Perth and Kinross Council leader councillor Grant Laing said: 'The people of Eastern Perthshire have waited a long time for a new recreation centre and pressing the start button on the project was a priority for this administration after the 2022 election, which allowed construction to begin in 2023. 'While we are disappointed we were not able to open the building as planned at the start of the year, we wanted to make sure all issues were properly addressed before taking control of the building and getting it ready for opening. 'It would have been remiss of us as a local authority to take control of a building with a known fault and without safeguarding the public purse. 'This will be a fantastic facility for the people of Eastern Perthshire and I am sure it will be extremely popular with residents and pupils alike. 'I attended Blairgowrie High School and can admit to a little envy at the facilities pupils at the school will enjoy compared to what was on offer when I was a pupil.' Blairgowrie Recreation Centre – hailed as being Scotland's first leisure centre to be built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards – will be operated by Live Active Leisure. As well as the swimming pool the new centre has a four-court sports hall, two-court sports hall/gymnasium, fitness suite; dance studio, changing facilities, PE classroom, office and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch. Earlier this year PKC leader Grant Laing — who had described the catalogue of delays as 'extremely frustrating' — asked PKC's scrutiny and performance committee to carry out a review of the issues which had led to the delays.
Daily Record
11-07-2025
- Health
- Daily Record
Perthshire cyclist's mountain route challenge for Alzheimer's
Firefighter Alastair's solo cycle is for his grandmother Doreen who has been diagnosed with vascular dementia. A Perthshire cyclist is to take on a challenging 200-mile north east Scotland mountain course with a total ascent of 11,000ft this month for charity. Perth city fireman Alastair Hare's route includes the Cockbridge to Tomintoul road over the Lecht which reaches a height of more than 2,110ft as well as the Cairnwell Pass on A93 Glenshee road (2199ft) and the Cairn o' Mount (1,493ft) on the Banchory-Fettercairn road. The 41-year-old decided to take on the July 17 solo challenge - which starts and finishes in his home town of Coupar Angus – to raise money for Alzheimer Scotland after his grandmother Doreen was diagnosed with vascular dementia around two and a half years ago. Alastair said: 'As a family, it has been truly heartbreaking to watch the decline in her health as she was once a strong individual who enjoyed being able to do her daily activities and was an active member of the community. 'Sadly, this is no longer possible as both her communication and mobility skills have rapidly deteriorated.' During the July 17 cycle Alastair - who is also retained firefighter at Coupar Angus – will be backed by family in two support vehicles including Alastair's wife Sam and eight-year-old daughter Charlotte, his dad Iain and stepmum Alison. Alastair, a former Rattray Primary and Blairgowrie High School pupil, said of the challenge: 'Honestly, I feel a bit of everything I am excited, nervous, and definitely wondering if I've taken on more than I can chew. 'Cycling 200 miles in one day is a massive challenge, especially doing it solo, and there are moments during training where I think 'What have I signed up for?' 'The route is a really challenging one as it has a bit of everything and as we know the Scottish weather can be unpredictable. 'It's not only going to be a challenge physically but also mentally just as tough, especially when you start to get tired. 'I will have to focus on the road ahead and be able to push through those moments of doubt. 'But at the same time, I feel incredibly motivated. This isn't just a physical challenge it's something really personal. 'I'm doing it for my gran, and for everyone affected by dementia. That purpose is what keeps me going, even when the legs are tired or the weather's awful. 'I know it's going to be tough, but I'm proud to be taking it on and I'm really thankful for the amazing support I've had along the way.' The Perth United Cycling Club member, who plays football and attends the gym regularly, also used to swim for Blairgowrie Dolphins for many years. However, he has never taken on a cycling route like this before, commenting: 'I have cycled for a few years now, although most of my cycling was to commute back and forward to work to save a little bit of money and to help keep myself fit. 'I have done a few of the local sportives over the years which range from 80 to 100 miles and the last couple of years I have joined Perth United Cycling club and regularly go out with other members from the club on group training rides.'
Daily Record
30-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Long-awaited £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre to open in July
Issues with the leaking pool appear to have been resolved and it is hoped the centre will eventually open some time next month 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.
Daily Record
06-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Record
Five-month delay opening the new Blairgowrie Rec "not acceptable"
Contractors are currently trying to pinpoint the location of the latest leak in the swimming pool A council chief has told councillors the five-month delay in opening the new £36 million Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is "not acceptable". Contractors are on site attempting to identify where the latest pool leak is as well as considering "other more radical options". The unidentified leak in the six-lane 25-metre swimming pool - which has been built with a movable floor - has further delayed the opening of Scotland's first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards. The state-of-the-art, low-energy facility has been built for the use of both Blairgowrie High School and the wider community. As well as the pool, it has a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; a fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; an office and a PE classroom, and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch. At a meeting of PKC's Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 30, a Blairgowrie and Glens ward councillor asked when locals could finally expect to step foot inside the new sports centre. Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers said: "We were heading for a post-Christmas opening and then we were going to go and work off our Easter eggs and now we're looking at maybe it's our summer bodies we'll be working on. "I think the community has been very very patient and that has been appreciated but an indication of a projected handover and then opening time would be helpful." PKC's strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford said: "My apologies from both my contractors' supply chain and myself for not being able to deliver this on time. "The pool remains with an unidentified leak. The contractors are currently on site, in the pool, attempting to find the leak but also considering other more radical options. "A timescale I unfortunately can't give you at the moment. Last Wednesday the Scrutiny [and Performance] Committee asked for a report on the cause of the delay. "I would say it has been fortuitous that we've had the existing Blair Rec ready during that time but I agree with you five months' delay is not acceptable." SNP council leader Grant Laing agreed: "It is frustrating for us all but it is the right thing to do. You wouldn't go and take a car that had one bald tyre. "It's the sensible and pragmatic thing to do and I'm sure the contractors will not be enjoying this situation either. It is a good example though of having a tandem build because if we had knocked down Blair Rec and said something would be ready in 18 months, and it ends up being two years that is really when people will get upset. "But yeah I share your frustration." Cllr Shiers asked if local elected members could be updated on the logistics of when the handover and demolition of the old Blairgowrie Rec does eventually take place. She said: "When handover does happen and then there will be the demolition of the existing building, my concern is around the logistics around that in terms of making sure the car park facilities for the new facility are available and we don't have any knock-on effect on the wider community by not having that operational. I'm guessing the whole schedule has gone out the window a wee bit with this so an additional briefing with local elected members would be helpful." Mr Crawford was "more than happy" to work with both the local councillors and Blairgowrie community on that. Councillors have previously been assured, by Mr Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council will not be financially impacted by the delays and that they are "fully the responsibility of the contractor so they are bearing all those costs". Blairgowrie Recreation Centre was originally scheduled to be handed over to Live Active Leisure - to run the facility - at the end of December. At the April 23 meeting of PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee, Mr Crawford told councillors that during the filling of the swimming pool "a number of small leaks" were identified and since then "a number of other leaks have been found and we've been working through that over the last three months to deal with those". In a previous statement, issued by Perth and Kinross Council, BAM UK and Ireland construction director Paul Carle apologised for the delay. He said: "The pool is a complex design, and we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it. Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it's right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public. "We are sorry for the delay and remain fully focussed of getting the repairs undertaken as early as possible." While it will be the first energy-efficient leisure centre in Scotland, it is not the first swimming pool with a movable floor. Loch Leven Campus has a movable floor and one is also proposed in Perth's new sports centre, PH2O. A PKC spokesperson said: "We are currently working with the contractor to address the issues at the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre and our Scrutiny and Performance Committee has been asked to investigate the causes of these. "Movable floors are found in many pools, including at Loch Leven Campus. Full proposals for PH2O will be presented to councillors in June." Building work on the replacement Blairgowrie Rec eventually began in June 2023 - after years of delays. Brexit, the COVID pandemic, a drainage issue and market volatility caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have all been blamed for delays to the project.
STV News
05-05-2025
- Business
- STV News
Five-month delay to £36m recreation centre is 'unacceptable'
A council chief has told councillors the five-month delay in opening the new £36m Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is 'not acceptable'. Contractors are on site attempting to identify where the latest pool leak is as well as considering 'other more radical options'. The unidentified leak in the six-lane 25-metre swimming pool – which has been built with a movable floor – has further delayed the opening of Scotland's first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards. The state-of-the-art, low-energy facility has been built for the use of both Blairgowrie High School and the wider community. As well as the pool, it has a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; a fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; an office and a PE classroom, and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch. At a meeting of PKC's Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 30, a Blairgowrie and Glens ward councillor asked when locals could finally expect to step foot inside the new sports centre. Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers said: 'We were heading for a post-Christmas opening and then we were going to go and work off our Easter eggs and now we're looking at maybe it's our summer bodies we'll be working on. 'I think the community has been very very patient and that has been appreciated but an indication of a projected handover and then opening time would be helpful.' PKC's strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford said: 'My apologies from both my contractors' supply chain and myself for not being able to deliver this on time. 'The pool remains with an unidentified leak. The contractors are currently on site, in the pool, attempting to find the leak but also considering other more radical options. 'A timescale I unfortunately can't give you at the moment. Last Wednesday the Scrutiny [and Performance] Committee asked for a report on the cause of the delay. 'I would say it has been fortuitous that we've had the existing Blair Rec ready during that time but I agree with you five months' delay is not acceptable.' SNP council leader Grant Laing agreed: 'It is frustrating for us all but it is the right thing to do. You wouldn't go and take a car that had one bald tyre. 'It's the sensible and pragmatic thing to do and I'm sure the contractors will not be enjoying this situation either. It is a good example though of having a tandem build because if we had knocked down Blair Rec and said something would be ready in 18 months, and it ends up being two years that is really when people will get upset. 'But yeah I share your frustration.' Cllr Shiers asked if local elected members could be updated on the logistics of when the handover and demolition of the old Blairgowrie Rec does eventually take place. She said: 'When handover does happen and then there will be the demolition of the existing building, my concern is around the logistics around that in terms of making sure the car park facilities for the new facility are available and we don't have any knock-on effect on the wider community by not having that operational. I'm guessing the whole schedule has gone out the window a wee bit with this so an additional briefing with local elected members would be helpful.' Mr Crawford was 'more than happy' to work with both the local councillors and Blairgowrie community on that. Councillors have previously been assured, by Mr Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council will not be financially impacted by the delays and that they are 'fully the responsibility of the contractor so they are bearing all those costs'. Blairgowrie Recreation Centre was originally scheduled to be handed over to Live Active Leisure – to run the facility – at the end of December. At the April 23 meeting of PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee, Mr Crawford told councillors that during the filling of the swimming pool 'a number of small leaks' were identified and since then 'a number of other leaks have been found and we've been working through that over the last three months to deal with those'. In a previous statement, issued by Perth and Kinross Council, BAM UK and Ireland construction director Paul Carle apologised for the delay. He said: 'The pool is a complex design, and we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it. Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it's right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public. 'We are sorry for the delay and remain fully focussed of getting the repairs undertaken as early as possible.' While it will be the first energy-efficient leisure centre in Scotland, it is not the first swimming pool with a movable floor. Loch Leven Campus has a movable floor and one is also proposed in Perth's new sports centre, PH2O. A PKC spokesperson said: 'We are currently working with the contractor to address the issues at the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre and our Scrutiny and Performance Committee has been asked to investigate the causes of these. 'Movable floors are found in many pools, including at Loch Leven Campus. Full proposals for PH2O will be presented to councillors in June.' Building work on the replacement Blairgowrie Rec eventually began in June 2023 – after years of delays. Brexit, the COVID pandemic, a drainage issue and market volatility caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have all been blamed for delays to the project. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
