Back to the drawing board for Commonwealth Pool revamp

Published on Friday 6 June 2008 10:46

THE long-awaited revamp of the Royal Commonwealth Pool (RCP) has hit a fresh stumbling block – after a decision by councillors cost the project £2 million.

Council leaders have had to go "back to the drawing board" on funding for the project barely three months after the Lib Dem/SNP administration set aside money to complete the 37m overhaul in its first-ever budget.

The plans were reliant on a 6m receipt from the sale of Spartans FC's former City Park ground to housebuilder Miller. It is thought that deal will now only bring in around 4m, after councillors on the planning committee voted to scale back the development opportunity. Deputy council leader Steve Cardownie said the news was "undoubtedly a setback" but said that was the "democratic process".

He said: "I was surprised that the planning committee made this decision. It's been known for some time that a capital receipt was expected to go towards the RCP.

"It's odd that they jeopardised that – a strange decision. It took all councillors who are not on the planning committee by surprise.

"We will now have to go back to the drawing board. There will be a series of meetings at the highest level – but we are still committed to the revamp of the RCP.

"It's difficult to know what the (funding] avenues are – I don't know what we'll do to bridge the gap – but we are obliged to re-examine the books."

The revamp of the run-down pool is necessary because Edinburgh is due to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games diving competition on Glasgow's behalf.

The council set aside 15m in the recent budget for the project and expects a 4m grant from sportscotland, with the remainder mainly coming from the sale of Leith Waterworld and City Park.

Spartans, who are hoping to replace Gretna in the Scottish Football League, are set to move to a new 3.3m facility at nearby Ainslie Park in September.

Residents and community groups strongly objected to the original blueprint for up to 200 flats on the site of City Park.

The new framework, which will form the basis of an expected planning application from Miller, stipulates fewer flats, restricted to two or three storeys high for the blocks next to Ferry Road.