Harrogate Borough Council looks set to award two contracts worth a total of £28 million to a Bristol company to build a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and refurbish Harrogate Hydro.
Senior councillors will be recommended next week to directly appoint Alliance Leisure to construct the projects as part of its leisure strategy and to proceed with construction work.
The Hydro contract is worth £11 million; the Knaresborough scheme is valued at £17 million.
A council report said its selection procedure would avoid “the traditional more time-consuming procurement process for public organisations”.
It added that process is “fully compliant” with the UK Leisure Framework, which allows for the direct appointment of a partner (Alliance Leisure) for scoping, design, refurbishment, construction and development of leisure centres. The framework is available to UK public sector organisations.
Alliance Leisure was awarded a £2 million contract by the council to draw up plans for both schemes in November 2020.
Read more:
- Harrogate Hydro reduces opening hours due to staff shortages
- Green light for major refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro
- Decision delayed on £13m Knaresborough Leisure Centre after residents not invited to speak at meeting
Major changes
The council, which will be abolished next year, is to build a two-storey extension on the Hydro and construct a new leisure centre, which includes a six-lane pool and exercise studio, at Knaresborough.
A report due before the council’s cabinet on Wednesday said the Knaresborough centre has the potential to be “entirely self-financing”.
It said:
“The 2019 review into the delivery of sport and leisure highlighted the opportunity to invest in the facilities which deliver for residents and visitors of the east of district/Knaresborough.
“The initial development of the scheme indicates that it has the potential to be entirely self-financing or that it could provide additional revenue cost reductions with the allocation of council capital, capital receipts from disposals or external grant.”
Designs for Knaresborough Leisure Centre.
Councillors on the planning committee will be recommended to approve plans for the leisure centre on Monday after a decision on the scheme was delayed last week when a “technical error” meant residents were not invited to speak at the meeting.
The cabinet will then discuss the proposal to award the contracts at a meeting on Wednesday.
