Agenda item

Report of the Executive Director of Place

The Cabinet considered a report of the Executive Director of Place, which set out proposals for city wide public leisure provision.

A corresponding private report detailing confidential aspects of the proposals was also submitted to the meeting for consideration.

In September 2014, Coventry City Council unanimously approved investment in a new city centre destination sport and leisure facility. The Council further unanimously agreed to continue to work to explore all opportunities to enable Coventry to keep a 50m swimming pool if technically possible and within the current financial envelope available, by exploring opportunities with other stakeholders in and around the city. 

The development of a new 50m swimming pool and enhanced public leisure facilities at the Alan Higgs Centre, Allard Way, Coventry was now proposed.  Subject to planning approval, the meeting of conditions relating to existing planning applications on the site and the granting of consents for development at the Alan Higgs Centre, this proposed investment would form a central part of the creation of a ‘Sports Village’ complex at the site.  The intention would therefore be to substantially enhance the facility provision of two sports, being swimming and rugby, through the development of a Community Swimming Development Hub and a Community Rugby Development Hub, to complement wider community sporting provision and the development of a separately funded, Wasps Training Centre. 

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It was further proposed that terms be negotiated for entering into a commercial lease for the new City Centre Destination Facility and to explore any benefit that could be derived from a formalised commercial partnership with Coventry and Warwickshire Award Trust (CAWAT).  In addition, it was proposed to extend the existing leases between Coventry City Council and Coventry Sports Trust in respect of the operational management of the public leisure provision that they currently managed across the city.

The aim of these proposals was to provide high quality, accessible and sustainable city-wide public sports and leisure facilities, in accordance with the objectives of the Coventry Sports Strategy 2014-2024, the Coventry Indoor Facilities Strategy 2014-2024 and Coventry Aquatics Strategy 2014-2024.

RESOLVED that the Cabinet:-

1.  Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place and the Executive Director of Resources in conjunction with the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport to approve such variations to the Head Lease and legal permissions as are required to facilitate the development of the Wasps Training Ground Centre subject to:

(i)  Planning consent being granted for the development

(ii)  Legal agreements being entered into between the parties to secure the on-going community use of the facilities in accordance with the principles of the Head Lease

(iii)  An independent Charities Act report recommending that the intended disposal between CAWAT and Wasps represents best value and officers being satisfied that the terms of the variation of the lease between the Council and CAWAT meets the Council’s Section 123 best consideration requirements

(2)  Grant consent as landlord (in principle and subject to planning consent) for the future development of a 50m swimming pool and ancillary facilities on the Alan Higgs Centre site;

(3)  Recommend to Council that it approves, in principle, the addition of £10.5m to the capital programme for 2016/17 onwards, towards the development of a 50m swimming pool and enhanced public leisure facilities at the Alan Higgs Centre. Within the £10.5m, £1.169m relates to management and design development costs as per paragraph 5.10;

(4)  Negotiate commercial terms with CAWAT for the grant of a lease for the new City Centre Destination Facility and also explore, if necessary and appropriate, any further benefit that could be derived from a more formalised commercial partnership with CAWAT;

(5)  Approve the extension of the term of the existing leases (by way of a lease renewal) for a further three years between Coventry City Council and Coventry Sports Trust (CST), in respect of the operational management of Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre, Brandon Wood Golf Club and Moat House Leisure and Neighbourhood Centre;

(6)  Approve the renewal of a grant award to CST to run concurrently with the above leases;

(7)  Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Resources and the Executive Director of Place, following consultation with the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Sport, to finalise and implement the proposals contained in recommendations 2, 4, 5 and 6.