To consider the report of the Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture & Heritage.

RESOLVED; That the Executive

1)    Note the outcomes of the RIBA Stage 3 Plan of Work, including the public consultation exercise for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village.

2)     Approve the facility mix, and design for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village as set out in the report.

3)     Delegate authority to the Director of Legal and Governance in consultation with the Corporate Director of Place and, where appropriate, the Director for Finance and Systems, to finalise and enter into all legal agreements with the Dean Trust when required.

4)     Approve progression to RIBA Stage 4 within the approved Partington Levelling Up Fund Programme, including the submission of the planning application and the commencement of construction to completion, subject to costs being within the capital budget set out in this report.

5)     Note the temporary full closure of Partington Sports Village to allow redevelopment work to take place.

6)     Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance, to negotiate and agree the terms of any contracts and appointments for the relevant contractors and specialists required to deliver the project and to award such contracts and appointments.

7)     Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place to submit planning applications for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village including the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) works once confirmed.

8)    Approve that the Council enters into a grant agreement with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in order to access grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to support the delivery of the scheme.

9)    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance and Director of Finance and Systems, to agree the terms and conditions of the grant and enter into agreement.

10)   Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance and the Director of Finance and Systems to enter into the funding agreement and any other terms and conditions associated with receiving additional funding from Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund.

11)   Note that any significant changes to either the capital costs identified on completion of RIBA stage 4 or the independently reviewed business case for Partington Sports Village, will be brought back to the Executive for further review and/or approval, and in advance of the Council entering contractual commitments on the overall capital spend if required.

12)    Note an extension of the Levelling Up Fund for the Redevelopment of Partington Sports Village has been approved by DLUHC.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage presented a report provides an update on the Partington Levelling Up Fund Programme, including an update in relation to the redevelopment designs for Partington Leisure Centre and the outcome of the public consultation exercise. The report seeks approval to proceed to the next stage of the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village, which will be stage 4 of the RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects) Plan of Work, including the submission of the planning application and the commencement of construction to completion.

Physical exercise plays an important part in improving the health and wellbeing of Trafford residents, supporting them to live longer and in better health. Leisure centres play a vital role within the local community as research shows that the proximity and accessibility of a leisure centre to where a person lives has a bearing upon the amount of exercise taken.

The Council is currently supporting Trafford Leisure’s financial losses from its approved revenue budget. This is c£1m per annum, including use of reserves, and is expected to rise as the condition of the assets decline. Capital maintenance of over £8m has already been approved for essential statutory works. These will also increase over time and the associated borrowing costs put further pressure on the revenue budget. This is effectively the “do nothing” or minimal maintenance scenario. 

The refurbishment of Urmston Leisure Centre, which completed in 2020, has delivered improved facilities, usage, and financial returns. This pays back borrowing and reduces the financial support required from the Council.

The Strategic Outcomes Planning Model (SOPM) Stage 3 adopted by the Executive in December 2021 provided an in-depth analysis of the needs and gaps across the borough, including Partington in relation to sports facilities.

The development of Partington Leisure Centre is based on a detailed brief following robust public consultation and now has greater cost confidence due to the RIBA Stage 3 process.

Trafford Leisure CIC has been involved as part of the project team to ensure the development of appropriate revenue opportunities to compliment the designs and increase future income profiles to support capital investment.

This report was considered in conjunction with minute no 105 to these minutes.

Councillor Welton asked if there was any indication that the decarbonisation is going to be successful and if it isn’t will there be a fallback. He made the point about the possibility of reducing speed limits for safety reasons due to the fact that  Altrincham Leisure Centre would be reopening in October and Partington is closing so it seems inevitable that people will going to Altrincham Leisure Centre so the active travel links are not good so slower speed limits would be useful to protect cyclists between Altrincham and Partington.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage informed Members that she did not know whether the decarbonisation bid would be successful. She referred to the Council’s track record with applications for decarbonisation.

The Corporate  Director for Place advised that we should know next month if the bid is successful. If we do not secure it we are looking at the deliverability of those schemes within the Council’s budget.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage acknowledged the point raised about active travel via car and anything that we can do to improve that form of active travel we will investigate.

The Leader emphasised the need to shape the travel network so that when the leisure centre is closed that there are good routes out to other leisure centres so something to consider with Greater Manchester.

RESOLVED; That the Executive

1)    Note the outcomes of the RIBA Stage 3 Plan of Work, including the public consultation exercise for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village.

2)    Approve the facility mix, and design for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village as set out in the report.

3)    Delegate authority to the Director of Legal and Governance in consultation with the Corporate Director of Place and, where appropriate, the Director for Finance and Systems, to finalise and enter into all legal agreements with the Dean Trust when required.

4)    Approve progression to RIBA Stage 4 within the approved Partington Levelling Up Fund Programme, including the submission of the planning application and the commencement of construction to completion, subject to costs being within the capital budget set out in this report.

5)    Note the temporary full closure of Partington Sports Village to allow redevelopment work to take place.

6)    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance, to negotiate and agree the terms of any contracts and appointments for the relevant contractors and specialists required to deliver the project and to award such contracts and appointments.

7)    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place to submit planning applications for the redevelopment of Partington Sports Village including the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) works once confirmed.

8)    Approve that the Council enters into a grant agreement with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority in order to access grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme (PSDS) to support the delivery of the scheme.

9)    Delegate authority to the Corporate Director for Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance and Director of Finance and Systems, to agree the terms and conditions of the grant and enter into agreement.

10)Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Place in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance and the Director of Finance and Systems to enter into the funding agreement and any other terms and conditions associated with receiving additional funding from Sport England’s Strategic Facilities Fund.

11)Note that any significant changes to either the capital costs identified on completion of RIBA stage 4 or the independently reviewed business case for Partington Sports Village, will be brought back to the Executive for further review and/or approval, and in advance of the Council entering contractual commitments on the overall capital spend if required.

12) Note an extension of the Levelling Up Fund for the Redevelopment of Partington Sports Village has been approved by DLUHC.