Residents to decide on leisure facilties revamp

East Renfrewshire Council has assured residents that Eastwood Theatre is part of a new six-week public consultation.

The local authority is seeking the views of the public to consider the best way forward for providing leisure facilities which meet residents’ needs in the future.

Concerns were raised that the theatre would not be included in any new proposals, however the council has confirmed that all four options will take into consideration the theatre .

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The current Eastwood Park Leisure complex was built more than 40 years ago and both the building and swimming pool are now reaching the end of their natural lifespan.

Carmichael Hall and Eastwood Theatre also require major renovation and refurbishment if they are to remain fit for purpose.

So the council has now put forward four options to allow residents to consider and influence how facilities in Eastwood are developed in the coming years.

The options include continuing to run the centre on a maintenance basis only, refurbishment, redeveloping the existing site with an extension or scoping out the potential for creating a new state-of-the-art leisure and recreational facility on a different site within Eastwood.

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Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “It is important that we develop the very best facilities we can for our residents and we want to find out exactly what the public want from a modern, fit-for-purpose leisure centre.

“We need to consider all options before considering the best way forward.

“So we want to hear the public’s views to allow us to take the next steps in this process. We are absolutely committed to providing the best possible facilities for our residents so I would urge everyone to get involved in this consultation to help shape our plans.”

The first option of carrying only essential maintenance as required would mean that there would be no large scale expenditure or enhancements to the current facilities and there is also a risk that major failure affecting the swimming pool could occur within the next five years or sooner, resulting in closure of the leisure centre.

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In the second option set out in the consultation, the current centre would be refurbished at a cost of around £11m. This would address current maintenance issues and upgrade the gym, changing rooms, Carmichael Hall, Eastwood Theatre.

This option would require the centre to be closed for at least 12 months and would extend the lifespan of the building for another 10 years at most.

In option three, a redevelopment of the leisure centre on the current site is being put forward, which would cost around £16m.

As well as refurbishing the fabric of the building, facilities would be upgraded and an extension built to allow additional facilities to be created.

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This option also has significant constraints, with the ability to extend limited by the layout of the existing Eastwood Park, as well as any increase in size leading to challenges associated with parking and traffic flow and offering a lifespan of an additional ten to 15 years.

The final option is the potential to creating a new leisure centre on an alternative site within the Eastwood area for around £25-30m.

This proposal would significantly increase the size of the current facility, offering the opportunity to expand substantially the facilities on offer, including the provision of outdoor spaces.

A theatre with studio facility, dressing rooms, green rooms, toilets and cafe/bar could also be incorporated into any new facility at an additional cost of around £4m.

The consultation closes on Tuesday, June 19.

Visit getinvolved.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/erc/eastwoodleisure/ for more information on the consultation and to have your say.