Angry row over £45m leisure centre plan
MSP brands sport facility proposal a‘white elephant’
A £45 million leisure centre planned for Ayr town centre has been branded a “white elephant”that will short change the public.
Tory MSP Sharon Dowey says the council plan will “not deliver value for money” if it replaces the existing Citadel complex.
Plans for the new centre have sparked controversy with costs soaring and South Ayrshire Council insisting it is unable to provide replacements for many of the facilities set to be lost from the Citadel.
The sports hall and diving board are among the popular attractions that will find no place within the new-look centre. More than 3000 people signed a petition against the centre that was later rejected by the council due to a “breach” of their protocols.
Mrs Dowey says the mood is clear that residents want to see the millions plunged into more pressing issues around town.
The South Scotland MSP said:
“It is frustrating to see South Ayrshire Council borrowing money to fund a new leisure centre instead of investing in the refurbishment of the Citadel.
“If the council is so keen on borrowing money, it could at least spread that investment around communities rather than just focusing it on a single white elephant project.
“The SNP council has shown its usual disregard for public finances by spending more money than they have on a brand-new leisure facility when they could have simply
refurbished the much-loved Citadel complex.
“And now we’ve learnt that there may be concerns around gas safety at the new site.
“You’d think the SNP would have done their homework when playing around with this much public money but as usual, it’s the same old story.
“Doing up the old leisure centre seems like a no-brainer, particularly now we’ve learnt that the new facility, despite all its mod-cons, will actually lead to a reduction in the leisure services residents can enjoy.”
Council leader Peter Henderson has hit back, claiming the Tories have a “total lack of understanding of several matters”.
He said: “I note at no stage were the proposals agreed by council called in by the opposition.
“Rather a statement to the press that they would scrap them if in power.
“I see no detail of alternative use of proposed spend, it is a fact that promises are often different from reality.”
The SNP leader added: “All town centres in the country are seeking to repurpose high streets, as due to a change in shopping habits, all are being affected.
“Online shopping exacerbated by the pandemic has increased the decline.
“I do feel that while this is a good soundbite, there is a lack of investigative diligence in the statements.
“The new proposed leisure centre is intended, and as exampled elsewhere, to increase footfall in the town.
“The fact that the council is progressing the bottom of the town for leisure and recreation, that Burns House is demolished and cleared and vision for town centre development is published, all appears to be ignored.
“While I understand that there is an election coming, perhaps some analysis of facts would be useful.”
He added: “In regards to the petition, it is untrue that it ‘was rejected out of hand’, rather it did not meet the legal and statutory requirements.”