New Competition Standard Pool
Questions Answers
Introduction:
Temple Cowley Pools (TCP) and Blackbird Leys Pool (BLP) are towards the end of their operational lives. In comparison to modern facilities both sites are poor quality, have high operating costs and large carbon footprints.
TCP is currently responsible for 10% of the council’s total carbon footprint. Further feasibility is being undertaken to provide detailed costs, but approximate figures show that around £2.6 million pounds would be needed just to keep both sites operating and this figure would provide minimal visual improvement for the customer.
A solution needs to be found in this difficult financial environment that is value for money, sustainable and also satisfies the needs of the majority of residents within the city. If nothing is done it is likely that both facilities would close within 3 years.
The options being explored are;
· Re-furbish TCP to an acceptable standard
· Re-build TCP on the same site
· Build a new competition standard pool adjoined to the leisure centre in
Blackbird Leys.
· Close both TCP and BLP
· The cost of doing nothing
Q & A’s
Has a final decision been taken?
No. While work on the design of a new facility is part of the brief for the consultants, council officers are also updating all the financial information we have about Temple Cowley Pools to ensure it is robust. The new financial data will also include costs to improve the visible aspects of the centre. This will be produced alongside the full business case for a competition standard pool to be presented to the City’s Executive Board in July.
How much is Temple Cowley pool costing?
In 2008/09 Temple Cowley Pools cost the Council £540,000 to remain open.
Does Temple Cowley use more energy than other similar facilities?
Yes, this is due to a combination of the age (originally dates back to the 1930s) and the poor design by modern standards. In 2008/09 the total CO2 emissions from the facility were 973t CO2, contributing to approximately 10% of the Council's building related CO2 emissions. If on balance the option to build a new swimming pool is found to be the most advantageous then there is an opportunity to introduce robust energy efficiency design features.
Will the full environmental impact of the chosen option be evaluated?
The council is committed to reducing its carbon footprint. As such every effort will be made to factor in all environmental aspects to the full business case.
The swimming club are expecting a diving pit at the new facility
This is not the case, leisure officers meet the Chair and Vice Chair of the club on a regular basis to ensure effective communication.
Do the City Council own the land that TCPs is built on?
Yes, the council have a freehold for the land.
The competition standard pool is only for competitive swimmers
This is not true. The facility will meet standards necessary for county level competition but will be a facility that maximises usage from all members of the community.
Is there a planning policy that gives protection to existing indoor sports facilities?
If the option of a new replacement facility at Blackbird Leys was progressed then this would be within the policy guidance (subject to the necessary planning process). The replacement would be a City wide facility of better quality and would be accessible with a distance of only 1.6 miles from TCP and 482 meters from Blackbird Leys Pool.
How does Oxford compare to other local authorities in relation to the number of leisure centres?
The city has twice the national average of pool water space and our leisure operator Fusion Lifestyle believe we have one of the most facilities per population in the whole of England. The problem with this is that you cannot guarantee the user numbers necessary to run the facilities cost effectively. Both TCP and BLP are poorly designed and are now in poor condition, as such they are increasingly energy inefficient and very expensive to run.
This has led to declining usage. Whilst the gym at TCP has slowed the decline in usage, it has still fallen by over 40,000 visits over the past five years. Ferry Sports centre receives in excess of 100,000 more visits than Temple Cowley.
If Temple Cowley closes would the monies invested in the gym not be wasted?
No. Gyms are the only profitable areas of leisure centres. As such the new gym at Temple Cowley has already covered its costs and enabled an improved quality experience for centre users. Dependant upon usage, gym equipment tends to be replaced every five years and as such by 2013 the equipment at Temple Cowley will be at the end of its lifespan.
How do you know what the community wants?
There are clearly differing views within the community. These currently seem to fall into people wanting: a smaller facility on the same site, TCP to be kept going at any cost, a new build on the same site, a new competition standard pool adjoined to Blackbird Leys leisure centre, a pool that also has fun slides and closing both pools without a replacement. A competition standard pool is a City wide facility, as such within the further consultation the council will ensure that the wider needs of the City are taken into account.
Why has more consultation not being conducted?
This is a long process, initial consultation has taken place. Over the past 18 months this has included talks with: the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), the City of Oxford Swimming Club, Sport England (we have utilised the Sport England’s Facilities Improvement Service), the Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, Fusion Lifestyle, Greenwich Leisure, the Community Sports Network (includes a representation for the voluntary sector, the PCT and the Youth Sport Trust), the County Council (social care, education - including Peers Academy and Oxford Community School) and the Library Service, the Primary Care Trust, other City council departments; planning, property, community development and an initial meeting was held with the Temple Cowley user group, with a more in-depth follow up meeting that took place on the 11th of March 2010.
While initial consultation has been extensive, we will now progress into a stage of full consultation. This will include facility users and potential users to enable a full business case to be developed.
Are the council committed to having a competition pool?
While we are living in challenging financial times the City Council are committed to finding a way to retain a sustainable competition standard pool. Such a pool offers the potential for all levels of swimming and is able to maximise the number of people participating at all levels in swimming.
Is there a condition survey for TCP?
Yes, an updated copy of the survey has been sent to a member of the TCP user Group. The major issues are the failing roof which is leaking and the supports are beginning to fail, the poolside concrete is eroded which has led to a scaffold being erected, the diving pit has now been closed since 2002, the pit is 3.8 meters deep and as such affects the facilities structural integrity. Our pre tender estimates to complete the maintenance works are circa £2.3M, most of which will not make a noticeable difference to centre users.
The climate within the facility is very aggressive, a condition which is exacerbated due to the poor building design which leads to increased levels of chlorine and humidity within the environment. Although a major part of the air handling unit was replaced just two years ago, it is already showing significant signs of corrosion. This will continue to deteriorate and affect the quality of ventilation in the building.
The old plant and poor design of the facility mean that the facility cannot maintain the required temperature within the swimming pools. Customer expectations are for warmer temperatures than compared to when the facility was designed. Whenever the outdoor temperature drops the pool plant is unable to cope and as such the temperate drops below its operating temperature range of between 28-30 degrees. This is not acceptable to the majority of customers and means the centre has to cancel swimming lessons due to the temperature not being able to be raised above 24 degrees.
The facility itself is also not accessible to those with disabilities; for example there is no lift to the first floor.
Why are we spending council monies on further consultants’ fees?
It is essential to conduct a full consultation exercise and explore the viability of potential designs prior to making a major capital commitment to the agreed scheme. This expenditure has payment milestones attached to enable the council to stop the works at various stages as appropriate
If the Blackbird Leys option was progressed how would it be financed?
A mix of prudential borrowing developer contributions and external funding. The prudential borrowing element would be financed through the revenue saving of closing TCP and increased income from users of the new facility. The construction of the new pool with an existing sports facility makes strong financial sense.
If a new facility was developed on the Temple Cowley Site how long would it be closed for to enable the works to be undertaken?
If the best all round option is to re-build the facility at Temple Cowley this would lead to an approximate 18 month closure.
How much would a new facility on the Temple Cowley Site cost?
In the region of £8-12M. This is approximately £5M more than the Blackbird Leys option as it requires a new stand alone facility to be built whereas the pool would be added to an existing dry facility at Blackbird Leys. This level of expenditure is likely to prove un-affordable.
How much would a new combined ice rink with a leisure facility cost?
Build costs would be between £21M to £25M, additional costs are likely to be the required land. A thorough land search was completed in 2008/9 which looked at an options appraisal of eight potential sites which did not identify any suitable council owned land, as such the purchase of such land would be a significant additional cost on the project. As such there is currently no way for the council to finance this option. The ice rink is operating well and Fusion have plans to make further improvements to the facility.
Blackbird Leys is difficult to get to.
BLLC to Temple Cowley is 1.6 miles (six minutes by car), there are also dedicated regular bus services that go directly along the route within the TCP catchment area (Cowley Road) and avoid the ring road going directly to the site at BLLC via Cowley Centre. These are Oxford Bus Company’s City number five and Stagecoach number one. These run typically every 5-10 minutes. Oxford City Council will work with transport agencies to further improve the already good accessibility.
How will the new pool cope with free swim users from Cowley and Blackbird Leys?
Total usage at both Temple Cowley Pools and Blackbird Leys Pool is significantly under capacity. A new facility will be able to accommodate users of both facilities.
Transportation to the new pool will not be green as users will have to take buses or cars instead of going by bike or walk to the facility as they do now.
Temple Cowley Pools is a city wide facility and users do travel from across the City to use it by a variety of means. There are approximately 6,659 people living within a 10 minute walking distance of TCP; however Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre has approximately 9,982 within a 10 minute walking distance. Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre is approximately 1.6 miles distance from Temple Cowley Pools which is also within satisfactory cycling distance.
Why can the new pool not be built in Cowley? For example in the old Lord Nuffield Club Building or in the old Post Office building?
The Council does not own either site, which would mean an additional significant cost to purchase the land. This would mean that it is likely that the cost would be un-affordable to the Council. Both sites would also have access issues dealing with additional transport.
Why are you taking a facility away from an already deprived and disadvantaged area where the community will suffer from this decision?
Blackbird Leys and Cowley both have areas of deprivation. Blackbird Leys is approximately 1.6miles from Temple Cowley Pools. The community within Temple Cowley and the city as a whole will be encouraged to use any new facility.
Have you considered partnerships with stakeholders in order to keep TCP?
We have been speaking to key stakeholders such as the County Council, Primary Care Trust, Amateur Swimming Association, Oxfordshire Sports Partnership, Sport England, Fusion Lifestyle and School Sports Partnership over the last 18 months. These key stakeholders are supportive of providing a value for money, sustainable facility with a lower carbon footprint at Blackbird Leys. We are also working closely with schools sites to further open their facilities to community use improving the leisure opportunities available in the city
What will you do to help local schools carry out their swimming lessons?
Currently there are three schools using Temple Cowley Pools and nine schools using Blackbird Leys Pool. Most schools within the City need to travel a short distance for swimming. The Council will work with the School Sports Partnership and the schools affected in respect of any issues that they may have.