Issue - meetings

The report was withdrawn prrior to the meeting as further work was required.

The report was withdrawn prior to the meeting as further work was required.

To receive and comment on the presentation.

The Joint Executive Advisory Board considered a High-Level Summary of the Strategic Outline Business Case (SOBC) in respect of the future of the Spectrum Leisure Centre.

The Lead Councillor for Environment and Regulatory Services introduced the Summary and advised that the Spectrum was the largest leisure complex of its type in the country offering a unique mix of facilities.  Although the Spectrum building was ageing, it continued to attract 1.7 million visitors each year from a wide area stretching beyond the Borough boundaries, despite the impact of COVID-19 and the cost of living crisis.  The Spectrum’s busiest period was the February half term school holiday when 60,000 visits were made during the course of a week.  The Spectrum’s swimming pools attracted approximately 35% of visitors whilst the ice rink drew 20% of attendees.  The complex also hosted over 60 major events each year, including Elite League Ice Hockey. 

Although, in 2019, the Executive had agreed to progress the option of providing a replacement low carbon leisure facility, implementation of that decision had been deferred for two years owing to the pandemic.  As two years had since elapsed and visitor numbers had returned to the pre-pandemic level, it was now considered timely to plan the strategic direction for the Spectrum’s future, particularly as the Centre was now 30 years into its approximate 40 year life span.

Operating the Spectrum consumed a significant amount of energy and, given the current high energy costs and the Council’s target to become carbon neutral by 2030, this factor was creating significant financial and carbon reduction challenges.  Excluding its housing stock, the Spectrum comprised 50% of the Council’s carbon footprint.

In this connection, the Lead Councillor for Climate Change and Organisational Development emphasised the significance of the challenges presented by the Spectrum in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions.  The Lead Councillor was of the view that a refurbishment or replacement of the Spectrum would be necessary to meet the Council’s zero carbon target. However, refurbishment presented challenges owing to the design of the building, which was highly energy inefficient, particularly in terms of heating.  Substituting the current gas fired central heating with a more costly electrical system, such as heat pumps, would be necessary to decarbonise the building.  Although building replacement would be a costly exercise, there was a possibility of obtaining some funding towards a new facility from the Government, Sport England or other organisations which supported the improvement of sport and leisure facilities.

The Summary, which was presented by the Executive Head of Commercial Services and the Interim Project Manager, featured:

·             executive summary of the SOBC;

·             project introduction and background;

·             compelling strategic case for change;

·             economic case with options evaluated in the mandate (January 2021) and shortlisted options evaluated in the SOBC (November 2022);

·             the financial case with draft costs;

·             the management case regarding the delivery method; and

·             the next steps to the approval gates.

The economic case with options evaluated in the mandate had favoured Option 4 – ‘Do More’,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 66

Decision:

(1)   That the spending of £300,000 from the carry forward reserve to enable the collection of comprehensive survey data on the existing venue, be approved.

(2)   That the procurement of a range of surveys from suitably qualified specialists, as detailed in paragraph 3.9 (a) to (h) inclusive of the report submitted to the Executive, be approved.

(3)   That the appointment of two fixed-term part-time positions to facilitate this stage of the project, be approved.

Reasons:

This proposed collection of survey data is much more comprehensive than any survey process previously undertaken in respect of the venue. This will allow councillors to make an informed decision about the remaining lifespan of the existing facility and whether that lifespan can be effectively extended, and if so, for how long, within acceptable economic parameters. Any decision to refurbish such an important venue for the community must be made on the best available information as the investment to significantly extend the life of venue is likely to be substantial.

Other options considered and rejected by the Executive:

None.

Details of any conflict of interest declared by the lead or lead councillors and any dispensation granted:

None.

The Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex was a unique and complex building offering a range of sports and leisure facilities. It was noted the complex had been visited around 45 million times. The venue’s original life cycle was expected to be 40-50 years and at 28 years old a revised strategy for its ongoing repair or replacement was required. The venue was the greatest single carbon emissions contributor within the Council’s property portfolio because of the nature of the facilities on site. The impact of Covid 19 in particular and future implications had necessitated a review of all options in respect of the long-term future of the existing building.

Funding of £300,000 originally set aside in 2019 to explore the feasibility of replacing the building remained available since that option was not presently being pursued. The Executive considered a report seeking approval for the transfer of that funding to undertake a range of specialist surveys to assess the anticipated life span of the venue (including the building fabric, the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems) and what programme of investment might be required to extend the life expectancy of the building and plant. In addition, the surveys would identify opportunities to reduce carbon emissions and update the operational technology of the venue. Two part-time fixed-term members of staff in Asset Management and Corporate Programmes would coordinate the procurement of the surveys and the ultimate consolidation of the data into a report for councillors. Thereafter, there could be a need for further senior specialist external advice associated with the consolidation of the diverse data sources.

The Chairman of the Service Delivery Executive Advisory Board informed the meeting that the recommendations as set out for the Executive were supported by the EAB when considered previously.

The Executive requested that the reports and recommendations arising from the studies should be accessible with clear options for the Council to consider.

The Executive

RESOLVED:

(1)   That the spending of £300,000 from the carry forward reserve to enable the collection of comprehensive survey data on the existing venue, be approved.

(2)   That the procurement of a range of surveys from suitably qualified specialists, as detailed in paragraph 3.9 (a) to (h) inclusive of the report submitted to the Executive, be approved.

(3)   That the appointment of two fixed-term part-time positions to facilitate this stage of the project, be approved.

Reasons:

This proposed collection of survey data is much more comprehensive than any survey process previously undertaken in respect of the venue. This will allow councillors to make an informed decision about the remaining lifespan of the existing facility and whether that lifespan can be effectively extended, and if so, for how long, within acceptable economic parameters. Any decision to refurbish such an important venue for the community must be made on the best available information as the investment to significantly extend the life of venue is likely to be substantial.