Trust in bid to lease city sports complex
THE Petershill Spor ts Complex is set to be taken over by the Partick Thistle Charitable Trust. Councillors will be asked to approve granting a 25- year lease to the charity during a meeting on Thursday.
Currently managed by Glasgow Life, the facility has been closed due to the Covid- 19 pandemic.
Under the trust, it would remain available to community groups and sports teams, including Petershill FC.
Glasgow Life, which is facing a budget gap of more than £ 20 million due to the pandemic, has a lease for the site from Glasgow City Council, which is due to expire in 2032.
But, after talks with the Partick Thistle trust, it is supportive of the proposal to renounce that lease and for a new deal to be reached with the charity.
It is expected an annual rent of £ 750 will be agreed for the Adamswell Street site, which will be reviewed every five years.
Councillor Ruairi Kelly, chair of the contracts and property committee at the council, said: “If approved by committee, the granting of a lease for the Petershill Sports Complex to the Partick Thistle Charitable Trust would bring great benefit to the city.
“By allowing the trust to run the complex, this will enable the expansion of their notable community programmes and serve even more groups of people in Glasgow.
“We look forward to working with the Partick Thistle Charitable Trust and their partners to make the most of the services delivered at the complex.” The complex includes a floodlit 3G pitch and 500- seat grandstand as well as changing rooms, dance and fitness studios, a café and function suite.
There are also six five- aside pitches and a two- storey office building, owned by the council and occupied by social work services. The office block will not be included in the new lease. Partick Thistle Charitable Trust, established in July 2011, aims to promote health and well- being, football, education and inclusion within communities.
It runs a mix of programmes for both boys and girls, between five and 14, including football camps, fitness and nutritional schemes and football opportunities for people with disabilities.
Through the new lease, it is hoped these programmes can be expanded, with Petershill as a base.
Councillors approved progressing with negotiations over a lease when they met in November last year. Terms of the deal have now been agreed and require committee approval.
The trust has supported people in north- west Glasgow throughout the pandemic, delivering tens of thousands of meals to vulnerable people.