Agenda item

RESOLVED:

      I.          Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability to commission further design work for a mixed-use development at the Gurnell site based upon the ‘Optimised 1’ leisure brief and Site Arrangement 1, as described in the Feasibility Study and further informed by the optimised Site Strategy contained within the Feasibility Study Plus addendum to the Feasibility Study. Further authorised the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability, following consultation with the Portfolio Holders, to seek planning permission for a mixed-use proposal to include a new build replacement leisure centre with a suitable and planning compliant level of enabling residential development which is anticipated to be in the order of 200-300 units in total.

     II.          Agreed with the professional advice contained within the Feasibility Study included at Appendix 1 to this report, inclusive of

a.     a reuse appraisal, which evidences that the existing Leisure Centre building is unsuitable for refurbishment and is beyond economical repair;

b.     Further agrees that the existing Leisure Centre building should be demolished at the earliest opportunity on the basis of it having no continuing value or opportunity for reuse.

c.     Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability to take all steps to arrange for demolition of the building, including securing any necessary consents and undertaking a tender process to appoint a demolition contractor and to award a contract and instruct demolition works to proceed

   III.          Authorised the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability to commission a detailed analysis of procurement routes to realise a replacement scheme, considering appropriate routes to secure both leisure and residential elements of the proposal.

  IV.          Delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Economy and Sustainability, following consultation with the Portfolio Holders, to implement procurement processes and market engagement in line with the outcome of this analysis.

    V.          Agreed to expenditure of £2.5m for the activities described at recommendations 1.1 – 1.3 above to be funded from the existing capital programme; and

  VI.          Agreed that, subject to the proposals receiving planning permission and the successful conclusion of any procurement exercise(s), Cabinet will receive further recommendations on the next steps for the project, including an overall funding strategy informed through further market testing.

VII.          Agreed that the Council should continue to engage and consult via the Gurnell Sounding Board through the next phase of the project.

Recommendations for NOTING

      I.          Noted the summary of the outcome of the ‘gurnell – leisure for all’ online survey which sought views from the public on future plans for gurnell leisure centre, carried out between march and may 2022, and summarised at appendix 2 to this report.

     II.          Noted that a sounding board has been established for the gurnell leisure centre project which has met on several occasions throughout 2022 and which has informed the recommendations contained in this report. Noted the summary report with appendices as submitted by the independent chair of the sounding board for consideration by cabinet and contained at appendix 3 to this report.

   III.          Noted the findings of a feasibility study, inclusive of an additional feasibility plus addendum to the original study, which has been commissioned to consider options for the replacement of gurnell leisure centre as summarised in this report and as provided in full at appendix 1.

  IV.          Noted that a new build replacement leisure centre, based upon meeting an optimised brief as generated through the feasibility study, would be anticipated to require capital expenditure in the order of £45m to deliver.

REASON FOR DECISION AND OPTIONS CONSIDERED:

Gurnell Leisure Centre had historically formed a core part of the Council’s strategic leisure provision. A redeveloped centre would be a major contributor towards achieving a surplus generating leisure provision, in part based upon the existing centre providing the largest learn to swim programme in London prior to its closure. The existing facility, which closed at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic, and which remains closed at this time, includes the borough’s only 50m pool and is one of only a small number in London, which has been the home of Ealing Swimming Club, the largest swimming club in the country with over 1,650 members.

The proposed redevelopment of Gurnell Leisure Centre features in both the Council Plan 2022-26 and also was referenced throughout the Council’s draft Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facility Strategy and Action Plan 2022 – 2031, with regards to a 50m and learner pool provision, to meet current and future demand. Numerous reports on the project have been approved by Cabinet from 2015 to the present and the recent history of the project is summarised below.

In 2015, a comprehensive assessment of potential external grant funding opportunities was explored, however, it was noted that there were no current opportunities to fund such projects via Sports England or wider grant funding programmes. It was therefore agreed that the Council should seek to realise a new leisure centre scheme in part funded by enabling residential development.

Cabinet took the decision in March 2015 for the Council to engage Willmott Dixon, via the SCAPE framework, to consider the feasibility of the long-term replacement of Gurnell Leisure Centre. Subsequent reports were taken to Cabinet updating on the design and legal aspects of the scheme. In May 2016, Cabinet approved an allocation of £12.5m as a contribution towards the project, to be funded from mainstream borrowing, to support the fitout of the leisure centre following an increase in projected costs.

In September 2019, Cabinet received a further update on the Gurnell scheme and approved the principle of amending the existing agreement with the then developer which would facilitate the Council directly delivering part of the scheme. Cabinet additionally noted that the designs for the scheme were sufficiently progressed to enable a planning application to be submitted.

The existing centre closed at the outset of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020. In July 2020, Cabinet agreed to not re-open Gurnell Leisure Centre after Covid-19 restrictions were lifted on the grounds of it being economically unsustainable to do so and in anticipation of proceeding with a replacement scheme. In April 2021, a planning application for a mixed-use scheme developed in partnership with Be:Here Ealing Ltd was refused permission by the planning committee leading to the abandonment that scheme.

The Council Plan 2022-2026 includes a continued commitment to “deliver new, state of the art leisure facilities at Gurnell” and, in pursuit of this objective, a new architect-led Feasibility Study was commissioned in April 2022 to consider future options for Gurnell and forms the basis of the recommendations contained within this report.

In parallel with commissioning the Feasibility Study, the Council carried out an online survey between March and May 2022 to seek residents’ views on future plans for Gurnell. There was a high level of participation in this survey with 1,913 responses received. A detailed summary of the results of this survey were included at Appendix 2 to this report which includes the following key findings:

·       Gurnell Leisure Centre used to play a key role in people’s active and healthy lifestyle, including opportunities for socialising with friends and family

·       Many say they were disappointed with Gurnell’s closure, and ask to re-open/re-develop the centre as soon as possible

·       Most of the respondents attended Gurnell for swimming, but also gym and fitness classes. This is also reflected in water and fitness activities being the most desired facilities for the future centre

·       There were requests to keep the green space and expand outdoor activities

·       There were suggestions to expand leisure facilities further to increase options (shops & restaurants, BMX track & skate park, children’s playgrounds, multiple sports facilities)

·       Although just over a quarter used to walk or cycle to Gurnell, more than two in five want to do so in the future

·       A third want mixed-use development to pay for the new site, and less than one in five would accept an increase in Council Tax

As part of establishing a fresh approach to the project, a Gurnell Sounding Board has been established to engage with interested parties and stakeholders on plans to replace Gurnell as these were developed. An independent Chair has been appointed to oversee the Sounding Board and there have been 4 sessions held to date.

The Chair provided a summary report on the key matters arising from the Sounding Board sessions and his full report is attached. This noted the following were where a broad consensus has been expressed by the Sounding Board membership:

1.     That there is a continuing need for a community Leisure Centre in this location

2.     That the existing Leisure Centre building is at end of life and refurbishment would not be financially feasible nor sustainable over the long term

The Chair’s report goes on to summarise a series of concerns as expressed by members of the Sounding Board noting that the single largest concern relates to the inclusion of residential development within the scheme and the claim by the Council, refuted by some on the Sounding Board, that this is necessary to be able to support the costs of replacing the leisure centre. There is a strong opposition to any form of tower blocks which would be reminiscent of the previous Ecoworld scheme with some holding the strong view that there should be no residential development whatsoever and that the Council should look to other means of raising the capital funding to replace Gurnell

A separate concern, which would be exacerbated by the inclusion of residential development within the scheme, is around the impact of any development on Metropolitan Open Land inclusive of ecological impact and development in the flood plain, with some holding the strong view that the development should be no larger than the existing facility in terms of footprint and massing

A further concern, linked to each of the above, was the scope/specification and size of a replacement leisure centre and the costs of replacement with a view that the brief should be based upon a ‘like for like’ facility rather than an enhancement on the existing Gurnell Leisure Centre.

The Chair’s report goes on to pose several questions for the Council to consider in reaching a decision on the future for the project

1.      Is the Council in a position to fully fund the replacement leisure centre through means other than residential enabling development, including through the use of Section 106 monies and other sources of grant funding, as well as direct Council funding, which would avoid the need to include residential development in the scheme?

2.      Is the Council satisfied that the ‘Optimised 1’ brief for the replacement facility which the architect team recommends would offer an appropriate mix to meet need or should this scope be further reduced to bring down the size and cost of the replacement facility?

3.     Is the Council satisfied that the ‘Optimised 1’ brief will not adversely affect other businesses including for example private gyms / health and fitness clubs?

4.      Subject to the Council’s position on the above questions, is there a cost threshold below which the need for residential enabling development could be avoided? It is suggested by the architect that the scheme costs for a ‘like for like’ replacement would be circa £28m. Would this scheme for example be affordable without a requirement for residential development?

Section 4 of this report provides a summary of the conclusions arising from the Feasibility Study and presents further information on the questions raised by the Chair in his summary.