Latest news with #ColinStewart
The Courier
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Courier
No health impact assessments done for Perth Thimblerow leisure centre plans
No research has been done on how the reduction in leisure facilities at a new PH2O Thimblerow will impact health and wellbeing in the city. The controversial plans to build a new sports centre without a dedicated leisure pool has been met with near-universal backlash from residents and sports clubs alike. The revelation comes nine months after Perth and Kinross Council chief executive Thomas Glen was probed on the same issue, but still no assessments have been carried out. The council boss was questioned by Independent councillor Colin Stewart at the time. Mr Stewart asked: 'If we reduce the overall sport offering in Perth and Kinross, what assessment have you made of how that aligns with the corporate objective of improving people's health and wellbeing?' In response, Mr Glen said no such assessments had been carried out. 'We haven't done an assessment specifically round around any individual sport, round about the health impacts, we haven't done it for ice, we haven't done it for swimming, we haven't done it for any other sport,' said the chief executive. The latest revelation is the latest in a series of concerns about the lack of studies and consultations carried out by either the council or Live Active Leisure (LAL) in regards to the new leisure plans. The Courier revealed that LAL failed to carry out any consultation in their Equality and Fairness Impact Assessment (EIFA) regarding their plans to remove the gym from Bell's Sports Centre. Leisure bosses also appear to have ignored advice from their own independent consultants to hold a public consultation on the plans. World champion curlers claim their community was 'sidelined' by council officers in talks over the future of the Dewars Centre when they questioned the local authority's usage figures. In February, The Courier revealed that Perth and Kinross Council failed to consult with the board of Live Active Leisure on the plans for Thimblerow. Campaigners have also accused the local authority of conducting a 'misleading' consultation on plans to turn Bell's Sports Centre into an unheated arena with artificial pitches. The future of Perth's leisure facilities is set to go back before councillors again on June 18. The council want to build a watered-down vision of PH2O, incorporating Bell's Sports Centre, and turn the North Inch facility into an unheated arena with artificial pitches. Perth and Kinross Community Sports Network (PKCSN), who represent a dozen sports in the area, are furious at the proposal. Campaigners, including the curlers, swim clubs and former LAL board members, have heavily criticised the plans. The local authority said its Leisure Asset Review – submitted in January 2024, months before the chief executive's comments – looked at all available leisure facilities across Perth and Kinross. 'This includes school halls available for rent which, together with the six-court hall to be included in PH20, will provide adequate and additional space for indoor sport and leisure,' said a council spokesperson. 'We will be introducing a consolidated booking system to make it easier for groups to access these facilities. 'Councillors approved plans to create Thimblerow in September 2024 and will be presented with proposals for additional leisure water options, as they requested, later this month.'
The Courier
02-05-2025
- Business
- The Courier
Cross Tay Link Road signs set to change after Scone complaints
Transport chiefs say they are looking to change road signs around Perth's £150m Cross Tay Link Road. The 6km bypass and Destiny Bridge were built to take traffic away from Scone, Bridgend and Perth city centre. But Scone residents have complained they're seeing more heavy lorries using their streets since it opened in March. The council's deputy leader is suggesting that could be down to road signs directing central belt traffic through the city. And now the senior officer on the project has admitted it may need to alter signs on local and trunk roads. The alarm was raised at a Perth and Kinross Council meeting on Wednesday. Strathmore councillor Colin Stewart asked what steps were being taken to monitor the Cross Tay Link Road's impact. He said locals had expressed disappointment at a Scone Community Council session earlier in the week. 'Given there were reports of more heavy traffic coming through the village since the opening of the Cross Tay Link Road, I wondered whether we had any indication of the flow and volume of traffic,' asked Mr Stewart. The council's deputy leader Eric Drysdale said he had already raised concerns with officers. 'The road signage could be better frankly,' he said. 'Coming from Aberdeen and Forfar, when you approach Perth it's suggested you use the Cross Tay Link Road if you're heading towards Perth or Inverness. 'What's missing is Edinburgh and Glasgow.' Mr Drysdale added: 'I think it needs to be made a lot clearer that if you're heading through – not stopping in Perth but heading to the central belt – then the Cross Tay Link Road is for you.' Fraser Crofts, the council's Strategic Lead for Environment and Infrastructure, said traffic levels were being monitored at various locations. This is likely to continue into the autumn. But speaking later, Roads Infrastructure Manager Jillian Ferguson told The Courier the council is acting now on the road signs issue. 'We are working with the council's traffic team to determine locations where there may be a need to alter the existing traffic signs on the local road network,' she said. 'Where necessary these will be amended to ensure drivers are provided with consistent information. 'The council is also liaising with Transport Scotland regarding existing signs on the trunk road network.' The £150 million Cross Tay Link Road and Destiny Bridge were officially opened by First Minister John Swinney on March 31. The 6km route connects the A9 Perth to Inverness road with the A93 (Blairgowrie) and A94 (Coupar Angus) roads north of Scone. It is the biggest infrastructure project ever carried out in Perth and Kinross. It was designed to reduce traffic and improve air quality in Perth, as well as speeding up journey times. Work has now begun on the next stage in the Perth Transport Futures Project. The £9m Bertha Park Link Road is intended to ease pressure on the Inveralmond roundabout.
The Herald Scotland
24-04-2025
- General
- The Herald Scotland
Council to probe further delays to new £36m leisure centre
The new centre will be Scotland's first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards, providing state-of-the-art, low-energy facilities for community and school use. It has a six-lane 25m swimming pool; a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; office; a PE classroom as well as a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch. Construction on the long-awaited new centre began in June 2023. READ MORE: Clyde Tunnel could be forced to close with staff to vote on strike action Plans for 13-storey student accommodation tower approved by council Work to restore historic Scottish town centre picks up pace After the initial leak was repaired, further testing was carried out which revealed a second, minor, leak in the pool. Contractors are working to resolve this issue before an opening date for the new centre is announced. Council leader Councillor Grant Laing has now written to independent councillor Colin Stewart, convener of Perth and Kinross Council's Scrutiny and Performance Committee, to undertake a review of the issues that have led to the delays. Councillor Laing said: "We are all looking forward to Blairgowrie Recreation Centre opening. "However, it is extremely frustrating that we have had to keep pushing back the opening date while contractors resolve these issues with the pool. "Although this is not incurring any cost to the Council and we will not accept handover of the building until we are satisfied everything is working properly, we owe it to our residents to learn exactly what caused these issues and if they can be prevented on any future construction projects, here in Perth and Kinross or elsewhere." The leak had been traced to an area around the movable floor equipment in the pool. The pool has been drained to allow all fixing and seals to be tested and to carry out repairs before the Council accepts handover of the building. Stephen Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council's Strategic Lead for Property Services, said: "Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is a hugely important facility for our residents in Eastern Perthshire and we want the building to be in perfect condition before it opens. "We are all disappointed at this additional delay. Our contractors are working hard to ensure there are no faults in the building before it is handed over to Perth and Kinross Council and we can make preparations for opening day." Paul Carle, Construction Director with BAM UK and Ireland, said: "The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will be fantastic facility for the whole community and we're disappointed that we have not yet been able to hand over the keys to Perth and Kinross Council. "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." The existing Recreation Centre remains open and will be used as the venue for this year's SQA exams.
