Transcript Public Meeting Want a Swimming Pool in the Black Isle?

Want a
Swimming Pool
in the Black Isle?
Public Meeting
“Recommendation c) no new swimming pool provision requiring financial
support from the Council is brought forward as a priority in the next five
years.”
Report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to ECS Committee, 13 November 2008
Black Isle Swimming Pool
Foundation
Survey Results November 2008
Background
• The Black Isle Swimming Pool Foundation carried out a
public survey during October 2008 about ongoing plans
to create a swimming pool for the Black Isle.
• Set-up on the initiative of the Community Councils, The
Foundation is a Company limited by guarantee
(Scottish Charity Number SCO24448).
• The Foundation has been invited by The Big Lottery to
submit a stage two application for funding to help
realise this vision – by 5th February 2009.
A summary of the survey returns follows:
Survey Distribution
• 3,000 survey forms were distributed in 9 communities:
Avoch - School, Post Office, Co-Op Shop
Culbokie - School, Post Office
Cromarty - School, Emporium and Coffee Shop
Fortrose - Fortrose Academy, Fortrose Playgroup, Post Office,
Doctors' Surgery, Black Isle Leisure Centre, Fortrose & Rosemarkie
Golf Club, Chemists Shop, Black Isle Farm Shop
Munlochy - School, Post Office, Mace Shop, Doctors' Surgery
North Kessock - School, Doctors' Surgery
Resolis – School
Rosemarkie - Spar Shop, Butcher's Shop, Plough Inn
Tore - School
Survey Returns
Cromarty
North
Kessock
BI
West
BI
North
Munlochy
Fortrose &
Rosemarkie
Avoch
Indicative survey clusters
A total of 710 completed survey forms were returned (24% of those distributed). The
breakdown of returns by Post Code Area is shown in the charts above
About the respondents
• The views of 1,529 individuals were represented
in the survey returns (approx. 16% of the
population of the Black Isle Ward of The Highland
Council).
• Of these, 56% were female and 44% were male.
• The predominant age group of respondents was
the under 16’s (37%), followed by the 31 to 45
age group (24%), the 46 to 59 age group (16%,
the 60 to 79 age group (12%), the 17 to 30 age
group (10%), and the over 80’s (1%).
Current swimming habits
The predominant frequency of current swimming habits was once a week (30%),
with daily being the most infrequent (3%).
Every 6 months (7%)
Other (6%)
Once a year (4%)
Daily (3%)
Once
a fortnight
(10%)
Every
couple
of days
(10%)
Once a
month
(14%)
Every couple
of months
(16%)
Once a week (30%)
44 respondents made a range of other specific comments about their swimming habits. These included: ‘swim more during
school holidays’, ‘swimming on holiday’, ‘infrequently or rarely’, never (due to transport difficulties), and ‘when time permits’.
Current swimming pools used
1,021 respondents indicated their current most frequently visited swimming pool
Invergordon Leisure Centre (8%)
Culloden Academy (2%)
Alness Swimming Pool (2%)
Beach
/ Sea
(10%)
Other
(11%)
- see
below
Dingwall
Leisure Centre
(25%)
Inverness Leisure (42%)
110 respondents made a range of other specific comments about where they went swimming. These included: ‘private
health clubs’, ‘hotel pools’, ‘hotel pools and leisure centres when on holiday’, ‘swimming pools in Aviemore, Elgin, Forres,
Fort William, Golspie, Nairn and Ullapool’, ‘Puffin Pool’, and ‘rivers and lochs’.
Current transport to swimming
701 respondents indicated their most frequently used form of transport to go swimming.
Car 81%
Bus 10%
Walking
3%
Bicycle
2%%
Shared
Transport
2%
School
Transport
1%
58 respondents indicated where they had come from to go swimming, with
the majority travelling either from work or from shopping, followed by from
another leisure pursuit and finally from school.
Didn’t & couldn’t swim
• 322 respondents indicated that they did not currently
swim, reasons given were:
–
–
–
–
too far to travel (59%),
no time (20%),
not able to swim (14%)
too expensive (7%).
• 99 respondents indicated they could not swim:
– 69% said that they would think about learning to swim,
– 21% said that they might consider it
– and 10% said that they would not.
• 374 respondents said that they would be more likely to
consider learning to swim or use a pool for health reasons if
there was a swimming pool nearer to them.
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
700 respondents indicated whether or not they would support the creation of a
swimming pool in the Black Isle.
98% said yes, the majority for the purposes of leisure and recreation / health and
wellbeing. The reasons given were as follows:
Sport
Swimming
(12%)
Tourism /
Visitors (10%)
Other (2%)
Affordability
(12%)
General
wellbeing
(19%)
Health (20%)
Leisure /
Recreation (25%)
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• 48 respondents made a range of other specific
comments about why they would support the
creation of a swimming pool on the Black Isle.
These included:
– ‘for safety’, ‘to teach children to swim’, ‘to reduce
travel and time’, ‘reduce carbon footprint’, ‘for
local school use’, ‘for FUN!’, ‘for community
development and social cohesion’, ‘for future
Olympians to have a chance’, and ‘perfect exercise
for the elderly’.
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• Of the 2% who said no, reasons given included:
– comments about the Black Isle becoming over-developed,
– the need for it to be a 25m pool for swimming
competition,
– concerns about the capital and ongoing revenue costs
required from an already stretched Council budget,
– concerns about the likely extent of usage (particularly once
the initial novelty had worn off),
– concerns about the lack of attention being paid to other
indoor and outdoor sports, and
– concerns about possible Council Tax burdens and
sustainability.
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• 655 of the completed 710 returns (92%) indicated
that any new swimming pool facility would best be
located alongside the Black Isle Leisure Centre in
Fortrose.
• Only 10 respondents suggested an alternative
location, mainly with personal convenience in mind.
These included: Avoch, Cromarty, Cullicudden,
Munlochy, North Kessock, and Tore.
• 9 respondents specifically mentioned the central
location of Fortrose linked to the Black Isle Leisure
Centre as being the ‘common sense’ location.
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
There were a total of 3,776 responses to what swim-based activities people would
like to see at a new Black Isle Swimming Pool. These were fairly evenly spread:
Recreation / Sport (14%)
Swimming Lessons
(14%)
School Classes
(13%)
Health /
Exercise (13%)
Aerobics (12%)
Young People’s
Programme (12%)
Seniors Programme
(11%)
Different Needs
Programme (10%)
Other (1%)
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• 54 respondents made a range of other specific comments
about what swim-based activities they would like to see at a
new Black Isle Swimming Pool. These included:
– ‘galas and competitions’, ‘flumes v’s no flumes’, ‘school lunch time
club’, ‘swimming club’, ‘lane swimming’, ‘family sessions’, ‘OAP
swimming lessons’, ‘women only sessions’,
– ‘health rehabilitation programmes/medical referrals’, ‘assisted
swimming for the disabled’, ‘special needs exercise sessions’, ‘pregnant
women sessions’, ‘post cancer exercise sessions’,
– ‘kids play pool/area’, ‘a crèche (or in Leisure Centre)’, ‘Jacuzzi’,
‘canoeing, kayak and sub-aqua lessons’, ‘life-saving courses’, ‘water
polo’, ‘swimming party’, and
– ‘to ensure an appropriate balance between school, lessons, clubs and
general public use’.
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• 490 of the 710 completed returns (69%) indicated whether or
not they would be prepared to pay a modest sum, say £3
towards the cost of a schools swimming lesson session. Of
these, 93% said that they would be prepared to pay towards
the cost of a schools swimming lesson.
• Of the 2,097 responses to how people would propose to
travel to a Black Isle Swimming Pool, the preferred means of
getting there were as follows (in order of preference):
Car 24%
Walking
16%
Cycling
13%
Bus 11%
Shared
Transport
10%
Running/
Jogging
7%
School
Transport
7%
Motorbike/
Scooter
6%
Mini-bus
6%
A Black Isle Swimming Pool?
• 190 respondents
made a range of
other specific
comments about
the proposal for a
Black Isle Swimming
Pool. The majority
of these were
supportive of the
idea and the chart
on the right
summarises the
flavour of that
support and also
some of the
challenges and
doubts expressed:
Comparison Running Costs
Annual running costs / subsidies for existing community and Council swimming pools and leisure centres (2007/8)
Community Pools in Highland
Ullaspool
Mallaig
Lochalsh LC
Poolewe
Bettyhill
Black Isle
£89,985
£87,962
£52,930
£22,451, plus cost of manager supplied by HC
£42,657
£56,000 (estimated)
Highland Council-owned and or operated Leisure Centres (Pool plus leisure facilities where appropriate)
Black Isle Leisure Centre
£115,691
Lochaber Leisure Centre
£321,444
Dingwall Leisure Centre
£187,353
Invergordon Leisure Centre
£209 697
Gairloch Leisure Centre
£75,136
Badenoch Leisure Centre
£142,442
Craig MacLean Centre (Grantown)
£78,756 (community use subsidy)
Nairn Swimming Pool
£323,421
Swimming Pools
Portree High School
£150, 084
Sutherland Swimming Pool, Golspie
£192,435(budget figure- closed most of year)
Thurso Pool
£248 275
Wick Pool
£256,080
Alness Pool
£55,611 (community use subsidy)
Tain Royal Academy
£17,438 (Community use subsidy)
Culloden Community Complex
£4,177 (Community use subsidy)
NB It is not possible to make exact comparisons, but these figures give an indication of subsidies involved.
(Source: Highland Council September 2008)
Revenue Projections
Entrance fees – Public Use
Entrance fees – Schools (survey shows that 93% of responding parents would pay
£3/lesson)
Revenue Grant
Income from visitors
Total Revenue Income
FIRST
YEAR
£120,000
40,000
56,000
20,000
COMPARISON ANALYSIS
+10%
-10%
132,000 108,000
44,000
56,000
22,000
36,000
56,000
18,000
£236,000
£254,000 £218,000
£125,000
3,500
19,000
7,500
18,000
2,500
500
2,500
3,000
1,600
5,000
20,000
18,000
137,500 £112,500
3,850
3,500
20,900 19,000
8,250
7,500
19,800 18,000
2,750
2,500
550
500
2,750
2,500
3,300
3,000
1,760
1,600
5,500
5,000
20,000 20,000
19,800 16,200
£226,10
0
£246,710 £211,800
Expenses
Wages & Salaries
Insurance
Heat & Light (including Oil)
Water Charges
Maintenance, Chemicals& Service Contracts
Laundry and Cleaning Materials
Telephone
Printing, Stationery & Advertising
General Expenses
Bank Interest
Training Courses
Depreciation/Amortisation Fund
Non Recoverable VAT
Net Profit/Loss (-) for year
#( for ongoing maintenance and renewals)
£9,900
£7,290
£6,200
Officials report to ECS Committee 13/11/08 –
Appendix Two – The case for swimming provision
•
“If the priority is to provide new swimming provision within an area that is outwith both the
walking and the 20 minute vehicular travel catchment of an existing facility, then the area of
greatest unmet demand is the Eastern Black Isle, including the settlements of Cromarty,
Fortrose, Newhall and Avoch. Some parts of the Fortrose ILC lie within the vehicular catchment
area of other pools, including Dingwall, Inverness and Alness. A sportscotland study of likely
throughput at a Fortrose Pool, taking into account both national and user statistics in Highland,
suggests 25,000 per year, which would be greater than pools in Alness and Tain, and similar to
that at Ullaspool.”
– virtually all the Fortrose catchment area is actually outside the 20 minutes
drive time to a pool so that is a pretty good case for a Black Isle Pool.
Officials report to ECS Committee 13/11/08 –
Appendix Two – The case for swimming provision
•
“It could be argued that the highest priority for new swimming provision should
be in the ILC that is the most remote from existing provision, and is therefore the
most disadvantaged. Ardnamurchan and Kinlochbervie ILCs could claim this.
Ardnamurchan ILC, has a higher population overall, though the settlement of
Kinlochbervie is slightly larger than Strontian, and the walking catchment has an
effect on attendance. The subsidy per person for swimming provision in remote
areas would clearly be high, but Highland Council generally upholds the principal
that people should not be denied services because of rurality issues, whenever
practicable.”
– Does it have to be one or the other? What demand is there in
Kinlochbervie or Strontian? Has anyone done any research on
this? And we in the eastern Black Isle are effectively denied swimming
because of rurality issues.
Officials report to ECS Committee 13/11/08 –
Appendix Two – The case for swimming provision
“The choice for Members comes down to:
• Whether the unmet demand for swimming at any location in the Highlands justifies a new swimming pool.
Surely YES!
• Whether the commitment of ongoing revenue funding for a new pool can either be afforded in the current economic
circumstances of the Council, or be justified in terms of being a priority compared to other demands for services faced by
the Council.
The question is, why is a BISP given no priority at all? There isn’t any discussion of the pros or cons of the Black Isle pool
despite funding the business plan, so how can councillors make any decision on the basis of the information supplied?
• If a new pool is being considered in the Highlands, whether the most important factor for deciding location is either the
highest potential throughput, the highest potential throughput out-with Inverness, or the community, even if relatively
small, that is currently most disadvantaged in terms of accessing swimming provision.
Surely there are other factors to take into account in terms of clear community and environmental benefits, and meeting the
sportscotland standards?
• Whether the presence of an enthusiastic community group willing to work with the Council to achieve new pool
provision should affect decisions about developing additional provision, or the location of any facility.”
The obvious answer should be YES. But this looks suspiciously like a coded version of ‘whether the council should give in to
vociferous lobby groups’ i.e. reject the BISP precisely because it has campaigned so hard, or, if it isn’t a Highland Council
initiative, squash it. Or is that unfair?
It is very, very odd that given the huge efforts made over the years and the enormous local support for a BISP, we just don’t
make it onto the priority list. Why not? Surely the Council have to at least address the issues raised in their own
report. And as the Council grant-aided the BISP business plan why is there no mention of that in the report?
Officials report to ECS Committee 13/11/08 –
Appendix Three – The case for swimming provision
Want a
Swimming Pool
in the Black Isle?