Sports Facility Development Planning

In determining priorities for future investment in community sports facilities over the next five years, The Highland Council is to follow the principle of equalisation of provision across the Highlands, taking into account population and travel times to facilities.

Officials are to identify where the most acute gaps in provision occur and analyse the condition and fitness of existing facilities.

According to Councillor Bill Fernie, Chairman of the Education Culture and Sport Committee, equalisation of sports provision has long been a goal of the Council.  The Service would follow a planned approach to the provision of community sports facilities in order to establish a fair distribution of spending across the Highlands.

He said: “This will take into account the Council objective of joint school and community use of most facilities. When priorities are established, discussions can begin with funding partners to establish a programme of partnership investment.
Further work is to be undertaken to determine the full costs of equalisation.”

The ECS Committee was invited to confirm that , due to pressures on the budget, no monies should be allocated to swimming pools over the next five years. However, the Committee rejected this recommendation.

Members noted the progress being made with the Black Isle Swimming Pool project. In light of significant support and fund-raising effort for the pool, the committee agreed that, should the project receive lottery and other capital pledges to the point where the requested Council contribution of £500,000 was the last element, the Committee would receive a future report considering the project’s capital and revenue costs in detail.

Councillor Fernie moved the successful motion. He said: “The Committee recognised the hard work carried out by the Black Isle community over 40 years in raising funds for this project and hopefully our supportive stance will help the project move forward.”