GREENLIGHT FOR recreation ECOCENTRE
Passivhaus pool and leisure facility will be Scotland’s first
Plans for the long-awaited new recreation centre in Blairgowrie were unanimously approved by Perth and Kinross councillors last week.
And the £26.7 million project will be Scotland’s first Passivhaus swimming pool and recreational facility.
The planning application for the centre finally went before Perth and Kinross Council’s planning and placemaking committee on Wednesday, August 10.
Planning and placement committee convener, Councillor Ian Massie, said: “This was a landmark decision for the people of Blairgowrie and shows our commitment to our communities.
“This state-of-the art centre will provide long-lasting benefits to the health and wellbeing of residents in the area but will also be built to Passivhaus standards, so it is as environmentally-friendly as it can be.
“It has taken a long time to get to this stage but I am delighted work can now begin in earnest on delivering the new recreation centre.”
We can now move forward to the actual building process and await the first ground breaking and the rising of this new recreation centre Cllr Bob Brawn
Perth and Kinross councillors unanimously approved plans for a much-needed new recreation centre in Blairgowrie last week.
The £26.7 million project will be Scotland’s first Passivhaus swimming pool and recreational facility.
Plans for the centre finally went before Perth and Kinross Council’s planning and placemaking committee on Wednesday, August 10.
However, it has emerged that the longawaited centre – which was due to have been completed by 2020 when it was first announced in 2016 by the then SNP administration – is not now expected to open until summer 2024 in the latest delay to hit the facility.
The project has been beset by delays, including the removal of £3 million pounds from its budget by the Conservative administration which led the council from May 2017 to May 2022.
In October last year, an additional £8.9 million was committed to the development, followed by another £2.7 million earlier this year to cover escalating costs.
The overall budget currently stands at nearly £10 million more than the initial £17.7 million estimated cost in 2016.
Brexit, the Covid pandemic, finding a solution to a drainage issue and the war in Ukraine causing market volatility have all added to the delays.
A planning application for the Beeches Road facility was submitted by Holmes Miller on behalf of PKC earlier this year for the committee’s consideration.
Moving the plans for approval Strathtay Liberal Democrat councillor Claire McLaren said the development would be a “first-class iconic sports facility within the Blairgowrie area which is longawaited by our residents”.
The two-storey building – which will be used by the local community and Blairgowrie High School – will include a six-lane, competition-standard, 25-metre swimming pool, a four-court sports hall, a two-court sports hall/gymnasium, a fitness suite, a dance studio, several different changing facilities, offices and a PE classroom.
In addition there will be a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch to the west of the centre, allowing it to be used all-year round.
The development will take place over two phases.
While the new centre is being built – on a site which forms part of the school’s playing fields – the existing centre will remain in use.
Once the new building is finished and operational, the old building will then be demolished.
Planning and placement committee convener, Councillor Ian Massie, said: “This was a landmark decision for the people of Blairgowrie and shows our commitment to our communities.
“This state-of-the art centre will provide long-lasting benefits to the health and wellbeing of residents in the area but will also be built to Passivhaus standards, so it is as environmentally-friendly as it can be.
“It has taken a long time to get to this stage but I am delighted work can now begin in earnest on delivering the new recreation centre.”
Local councillors for the Blairgowrie and Glens ward, who have all campaigned for the new centre for several years, welcomed the news.
Blairgowrie and Glens SNP elected member Tom McEwan said: “It is great to see the new recreation centre plans now approved and moving forward.
“I hope that the local area isn’t disturbed too much by this essential building work and hope material and expertise shortages in the building sector don’t delay the project’s completion date.”
Conservative elected member Caroline Shiers said: “I am delighted that planning permission has been approved for the new recreation centre and work can begin very soon.
“This will be the first Passivhaus standard pool in Scotland and really demonstrates our commitment to building public facilities that are as energy efficient as possible to meet our climate change obligations.
“This project will deliver first-class PE facilities for the high school as well as community sports and leisure activities for the growing communities of east Perthshire.
“I will do all I can to work with residents and the school during the construction phase to ensure any inconvenience is minimised.”
And fellow Conservative councillor Bob Brawn added: “At the meeting of the planning and placemaking committee on Wednesday last, there was unanimous agreement to approve the application for the new recreation centre.
“This was a major hurdle to the project and I’m pleased that it has passed without a problem as I’m sure are my fellow ward councillors.
“The project has experienced delays for one reason or another and, with hindsight, perhaps some of those could have been avoided.
“But, as a result, we will now have a facility of cutting-edge design being built to the Passivhaus standard which will ensure an energy-efficient building that is future-proofed for years to come.”
He added: “We can now move forward to the actual building process and await the first ground breaking and the rising of this new recreation centre.”