£10m city pool project back on track after design scaled down

PLANS for York's first competition-standard public swimming pool had to be scaled down to get the project back on track and avoid landing council tax-payers with a potential £30m debt, it was revealed yesterday.

As reported by the Yorkshire Post, a multi-million-pound deal between York Council and York University means that the scheme to build the facility at the planned York Sports Village in Heslington in the east of the city is back on the cards.

The pool will provide training facilities for elite swimmers, as well as full public access. The facility will also have a training pool for younger swimmers and a seating gallery for spectators.

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The breakthrough came when revised plans were submitted to the University Pool Steering Group this week.

Savings have been made to make more efficient use of space while the proposed location has also been changed in order to save money on land preparation costs.

The revised design brings the cost of the pool down from 10.3m to 8.9m. The university had already committed 5m to the project, while York Council had agreed to provide 2m in exchange for full public access to the pool.

Council chiefs say the new plans cut down the building costs while maintaining the standard of facilities, in an attempt to restart the project after it had been stalled while the university council struggled to bridge a funding gap for the facility.

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The university has applied for 1m in external funding to support the project and will ask York Council to consider bankrolling a further 1m to get it under way as soon as possible.

If funding can be secured, the university proposes construction could begin early in 2011, with the grand opening early in 2012.

The council's Liberal Democrat executive member for leisure, culture and social inclusion, Nigel Ayre, stressed that the revised plans offered an opportunity to take the project forward.

He said: "Council officers have been working hard with the university to revise the plans for the pool in order to find a way to move the project forward, while ensuring the new pool delivers the same standard of facility as originally planned.

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"The new business case that has been prepared by the university has identified a number of areas where construction costs can be reduced, without compromising on quality.

"The new plans are definitely a positive step forward in getting this project moving. We will be looking closely at the business case and exploring funding options over the next few weeks ahead of a report being presented to the council's executive in June."

Coun Ayre explained that the agreement proposed would see the university taking all financial risk for running and maintaining the pool for 25 years in exchange for a 3m capital grant from the council.

"For the council to build and operate the pool by itself we would be looking at somewhere in the region of 30m over the 25 years," he added.

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"So in principle this looks like a very good deal for local people, For an investment of 3m residents will have York's first competition-standard pool, with full public access and the university taking responsibility for running the facility.

"The sports village will also see the addition of further all weather pitches to meet residents needs. There is no way the council could afford such a top quality facility working on its own so the partnership with the university is vital.

"However, it is important we take the time to look at the revised plans and business case the university have put forward to ensure we have fully examined the detail before a decision is made."