Issue - meetings

This report sets out a proposal from the University of York to provide a competition standard swimming facility for the City, to be located adjacent to the Grimston Bar Park and Ride site, and asks Members to recommend that Council approve a £3m capital grant to the project.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the University’s partnership proposal, including the allocation of a £3m capital grant, be agreed.

                        (ii)        That the draft heads for the legal agreement set out in Annex D be noted and that authority be delegated to the Head of Legal Services to finalise the heads and conclude the agreement.

REASON:                  To further the City’s swimming strategy and to create excellent facilities for the people of York to use.

                        (iii)       That Officers and the University of York be thanked for the progress that has been made in bringing this proposal forward to deliver the pool.

Members considered a report which set out a proposal from the University of York to provide a competition standard swimming facility for the City, to be located adjacent to the Grimston Bar Park & Ride site.

Key deliverables of the Council’s current swimming facilities strategy, agreed in October 2007, included a partnership with the University of York to deliver a competition standard swimming pool, with full public access, as part of their ‘York Sports Village’ development.  The requirement for a pool was included in the University’s Section 106 agreement in respect of the development but the University was not in a position to complete the facilities within its own resources and there was no required end date for delivery. 

The proposal now was for the Council to provide a one-off capital contribution of £3m, in exchange for a 25 year agreement with the University on the terms set out in Annex D to the report.  This, added to £5m provided by the University and £1m external grant funding, would enable a pool and fitness facilities to be built to a high specification, with public access as required.  The facility would be maintained and run by the University, at no revenue cost to the Council.  It was recommended that this proposal be accepted.  The alternative would be for the Council to act alone to develop a pool, which would cost upwards of £17m in capital outlay, as well as taking longer and requiring ongoing revenue subsidy.

Having noted the comments of the Labour Group Spokespersons on this item, it was

RESOLVED: (i)         That the University’s partnership proposal, including the allocation of a £3m capital grant, be agreed. ¹

                        (ii)        That the draft heads for the legal agreement set out in Annex D be noted and that authority be delegated to the Head of Legal Services to finalise the heads and conclude the agreement. ²

REASON:                  To further the City’s swimming strategy and to create excellent facilities for the people of York to use.

                        (iii)       That Officers and the University of York be thanked for the progress that has been made in bringing this proposal forward to deliver the pool.