Agenda item

PLYMOUTH LIFE CENTRE AND LEISURE RELATED PROJECTS PROGRAMME UPDATE

The panel will receive the Culture, Sport and Leisure Programme Director’s report on the progress of the Plymouth Life Centre and leisure related projects programme.

Minutes:

The Director for People submitted an update report on the Plymouth Life Centre and leisure related projects programme.  The update highlighted the following main areas –

 

(a)

Plymouth Life Centre –

 

 

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Balfour Beatty had confirmed the final completion date of the new Centre which would be officially handed over to the Council on 27 February 2012; the Council and Everyone Active were currently putting plans in place to open the Centre over the weekend of Friday 23 to Sunday 25 March 2012;

 

(b)

Leisure Management Contract –

 

 

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Plympton pool and Brickfields continued to operate well with increasing usage;

 

 

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Everyone Active had been asked to consider reintroducing the all weather pitch at Manadon into their contract; a full set of contractual documents had been produced and were being considered by Everyone Active (a response was awaited);

 

(d)

 

Skate Park

 

 

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the skate park was now fully open and operational;

 

 

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there had been issues regarding vandalism to the electricity control box that controlled the lighting on the site; these issues were being resolved; the project manager had attended a meeting with youth services and representatives from the skate board and BMX community to discuss the situation, potential solutions and feedback about the park.

 

The following responses were provided to questions raised by the panel –

 

(a)

the all weather pitch at Manadon had been included in the leisure management contract however, St Boniface school had expressed an interest in taking ownership of this site; this opportunity had been followed up but had subsequently fallen through; the facility would now be re-introduced into the leisure management contract;

 

(b)

written responses would be provided to the panel relating to the following issues -

 

 

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the cost of becoming a founder member of the Plymouth Life Centre (the cost was an initial fee of £390 with three months free) together with the benefits of this membership;

 

 

 

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the issue of having to provide two contact numbers (a land line and a mobile phone number) in order to sign up for the Everyone Active’s card;

 

(c)

 

there was a standard procedure in place for the handover of the building to the council;

 

(d)

 

the panel would receive an urgent response relating to the relationship between the Business Improvement District for the Waterfront and Everyone Active;

 

(e)

the Mayflower Centre and the Central Park Swimming Pool would be demolished within six months, following the opening of the Plymouth Life Centre (this formed part of the construction contract);

 

(f)

the prices for the Plymouth Life Centre were broadly comparable with the existing prices in the Mayflower Centre (the day rate swimming sessions at Plympton pool was less then when Plymouth City Council operated the pool); the facilities and membership packages provided by the Life Centre were completely different to those previously offered in the existing facilities;

 

(g)

as part of the construction contract the spoil from the site would be removed; once the Mayflower Centre/Central Park Swimming Pool had been demolished the spoil would be used to infill and remodel the landscape which would be put back to grass;

 

(h)

there was a communication strategy in place (Everyone Active was responsible for the marketing plan and Balfour Beatty for the communication plan for the building); D Clark Associates had been appointed to manage public relation communications;

 

(i)

the bus timetable for services that travelled to the Centre for both evenings and Saturdays and Sundays;

 

(j)

responses would be provided to the panel on the following issues  -

 

 

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what incentives would be put in place to encourage members of the public to use public transport, as the Green Travel Scheme was only available to Plymouth City Council staff;

 

 

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the feasibility of joining up some of the cycle routes across the city to make it easier for people to access the Centre and to reduce car usage and raise fitness levels.

 

 

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the costs associated with extending the existing operating times of the park and ride bus service after 6.30pm to enable people to access the facility in the evenings;

 

(k)

the council had entered into competitive dialogue for the procurement process to secure a partner to deliver ice and arena provision for the city; initial bids had been returned in January (the submission deadline for contracts to be returned was March 2012).

 

Supporting documents: