East Dunbartonshire Council have announced a public consultation on the proposed redevelopment of the new Allander Leisure Centre in Bearsden.

The proposal aims to redevelop the site to form a state-of-the-art sports and leisure facility, with additional plans to incorporate services for adults with learning disabilities.

Members of the public are being invited to find out more about the project at drop-in exhibition events, being held within Allander Leisure Centre (Milngavie Road, Bearsden) on:

Tuesday 26 November 2019 - noon-7pm

Saturday 30 November - 11am-3pm

Thursday 5 December - noon-7pm.

People will be able to find out more information about proposals for the new facility, ahead of a planning application being submitted. There will also be an opportunity to submit comments and feedback - both at the events and afterwards.

Materials from the exhibition events will be available on the Council website after 5 December.

Meetings have taken place with Allander Champions Group and community councils, with further engagement proposed with Allander users, residents' associations and local schools.

-- Advertisement --

The Allander project includes proposals for:

• A larger swimming pool, games hall, gym, cafe and changing facilities

• Improved football and tennis facilities

• Services to support adults with a learning disability within the centre (re-provisioned from Kelvinbank Resource Centre).

Councillor Vaughan Moody, Joint Council Leader, said: "I hope as many people as possible take the chance to attend the exhibition events on plans to transform the Allander into a state-of-the-art leisure centre, with additional facilities for adults with learning disabilities."

Councillor Andrew Polson, Joint Council Leader, said: "A redeveloped Allander facility has been a long-cherished dream in East Dunbartonshire. It has been a complex process to try to balance views and requests in relation to the new Allander, while ensuring value for money, and I am delighted that the project is moving forward."

Work has been carried out with partners including East Dunbartonshire Leisure and Culture (EDLC) Trust and East Dunbartonshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

The HSCP's approved East Dunbartonshire Adult Learning Disability Strategy 2018-23 committed to developing re-designed day services for people with learning disabilities in East Dunbartonshire - re-provisioning the current service delivered at Kelvinbank Resource Centre, Kirkintilloch.

At its meeting on 26 September, the Council agreed to include the re-provisioned Kelvinbank within the Allander project - combining both facilities with the total cost of the project estimated at £40.9m (which includes capital funding already allocated for the re-provisioned Kelvinbank).

Dependent on a planning application being submitted, there will then be a further opportunity to make formal representations during the statutory notification period.

(MH/JG)