Elected Member Briefing - Consultation on the future use of Bell's Sports Centre

About this Briefing Note

Report by: Stephen Crawford - Strategic Lead, Property Services

EMBN Number: 012-25

Date: 27 January 2025

Subject: Consultation on the future use of Bell's Sports Centre

Details

Purpose

To provide an update on the recent public consultation on the future use of Bell's Sports Centre, Perth.

Briefing Information

In May 2024 Council instructed officers to bring forward proposals for Bell's Sports Centre later in 2024, including plans for community engagement on these proposals.

Further proposals were brought to a meeting of the Council in September 2024 along with an options appraisal and recommendations to carry out community engagement on the future use of the building.

Survey options were to include:

• Do nothing beyond essential maintenance requirements which are the responsibility of the owner of a Category B listed structure
• Convert the dome to an unheated event space/ multi-use sports pitch venue
• Invite community suggestions for other unheated use.

Public consultation exercise

A public consultation was launched on the Council's Consultation Hub on 11 November 2024, to run to 17 January 2025.

The consultation asked how important it was to participants that a future use was found for Bell's Sports Centre and how frequently people used leisure facilities in Perth and Kinross.

It also asked whether people agreed with proposals to turn the facility into an unheated event for indoor sports pitches, and what amenities people thought should be included in such a centre (toilets, changing rooms, café etc).

The consultation was promoted extensively in the local press, by email and on the Council's social media channels, encouraging people to take part and tell us their views.

Consultation results

A total of 1,981 people responded to the consultation exercise.

In summary the results were:

• 51.94% of people said they use leisure facilities weekly, with almost 10% saying they use facilities on a daily basis
• 76.61% of respondents said they think it is "very important" that Bell's Sports Centre continues to support public activities, with 15.45% saying it is "important"
• A total of 60.47% of respondents told us they agree with the option to convert Bell's into an unheated event for space for indoor sports pitches, with 39.53% saying they disagreed.
• 90.56% said that public restrooms should be included and changing rooms registered the support of 89.5%. In addition, 70.57% of respondents said a café should be included.
• The consultation also asked for comments from people who disagreed with the indoor unheated sports pitch proposal, as well as any other general comments about the future of Bell's. Around 1,600 comments were received.

Next steps

All feedback and comments will be analysed by officers, and then a paper will be prepared that will go to councillors in the coming months for a decision to be made on the future use of Bell's.

The results of the consultation will be published on the Consultation Hub once this briefing has been issued to you, and a press release will also be issued to update members of the public on the results and next steps.