Issue - meetings

RESOLVED:

1. Recommend to Council to approve the allocation of a maximum of £845,609.17 to progress the project to build a standalone 8x25m swimming pool with learner pool and splash pad to RIBA Stages 2 and 3.

2. Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer in consultation with the Leader of the Council, Strategic Advisor to the Chief Executive and Leader and the Portfolio Holder for Business to enter into an Access Agreement Leisure to progress the project to RIBA Stage 3.

3. Note that a future report will return with the full business case in March 2027 for a final decision on whether to proceed with the project.

RECOMMENDED:

That Council:

1. Approve the allocation of a maximum of £845,609.17 from reserves to fund the new Lynnsport Project through to RIBA Stage 3.

2. Delegate authority to the Section 151 Officer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance, to determine the appropriate reserve to fund the work.

REASON FOR DECISION:

To progress the project to build a new standalone swimming pool at Lynnsport to RIBA Stage 3 to provide the Council with the final design, project cost-certainty and business case to provide members with the information required to determine whether to proceed to the construction of the new pool.

The timing of this decision reflects both the condition of the existing facility and the maturity of the work undertaken to date. St James Swimming Pool is continuing to deteriorate, with increasing maintenance requirements, rising operating costs and a growing risk to the long-term continuity of swimming provision. Progressing to the next steps now will maintain project momentum and preserve the value of the work already undertaken.

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The Monitoring Officer advised Cabinet that the report was being considered in open session. However, she noted that a separate report contained exempt information and that, should Cabinet wish to discuss any of the exempt elements, it would be necessary to temporarily exclude the press and public from the meeting.

Councillor Beales proposed amendments to the recommendations, namely that the allocation of £845,609.17 should be approved as the maximum amount and that the Leader should be consulted in relation to the exercise of the delegated authority proposed for the Chief Operating Officer and the Section 151 Officer. Cabinet agreed to the amended recommendations.

The Strategic Adviser to the Chief Executive and Leader presented the report and outlined the preferred option for replacing St James Swimming Pool with a standalone facility at Lynnsport. Cabinet was informed that approval was sought to progress the project to RIBA Stage 3, at which point a detailed business case would be available and a further decision would be required regarding whether the project should proceed.

The Strategic Adviser provided an overview of the current position at St James Swimming Pool, explaining that the facility was ageing, approaching the end of its operational life and becoming increasingly costly to maintain.

Cabinet noted that, following the pause in Local Government Reorganisation, any future decision on whether to proceed with the project would likely rest solely with the Borough Council.

Councillor Rust referred to the potential public perception of the costs involved, noting that the sum requested related solely to progressing the project to RIBA Stage 3. She also highlighted the importance of maintaining swimming provision to improve water literacy and ensure that residents and communities had opportunities to learn to swim and develop water safety skills.

In response, the Strategic Adviser acknowledged that the proposed expenditure was significant but explained that it covered design work, ground investigations, the preparation of a business case and other professional services required to progress the project. She advised that a detailed cost breakdown was contained within the exempt appendix to the report. It was further noted that costs of between 6% and 10% of an overall project value were typically required to reach this stage of development, whereas the amount requested represented 3.7% of the estimated total project cost.

The Leader explained that the costs had been benchmarked against industry standards and that the expenditure was a necessary requirement to enable the project to progress.

In response to a question from Councillor Rust, the Assistant Director for Leisure and Culture advised that a 2024 survey had indicated that levels of drowning had doubled and that more than one million pupils due to enter secondary education in 2026 were unable to swim or remain safe in the water. She also reported that over 200 water-related incidents had been recorded in the previous year and that 22 people had drowned in Norfolk during the preceding five-year period.

Councillor Lintern commented that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46