Argyll and Bute Sport Pitches and Facilities Strategy

In 2009 PMR Leisure were commissioned in partnership with Gareth Hoskins Architects to undertake a feasibility study with in depth community consultation on behalf of Argyll and Bute Council for a new swimming pool in Helensburgh. Following the successful completion of this work we were commissioned in early 2010 to develop Argyll and Bute Council’s Sports Pitch and Facility Plan. Argyll & Bute presented PMR with a unique challenge in that throughout the Authority each community had a combination of facility provision – both Council led developments alongside many community led facilities and a variety of management approaches within that provision. This mix is particularly unique to Argyll & Bute and effects both indoor and outdoor facilities. Our work brought these together for the first time under a clear joined up audit and identified the contribution they make to participation in sport and importantly how they should be developed in the future. The outputs of our work included:

• Finding gaps in major sporting facility provision effecting participation now and in the future.
• Understanding the role of community led Social Enterpirse facility provision and how it is viewed by the wider community.
• Understanding how small communities address facility development in the future in a sustainable way.
• Prioritising Argyll and Bute Council’s investment funding plan in the coming years.
• Recommending a clear role for the NPDO schools in providing for their community sporting needs –particularly indoor sport
• Assessing the need and demands of sport on a sport by sport basis
• Identifying potential significant facilities for performance level sport in conjunction with Governing Bodies of Sport.
• Through auditing, GSI mapping and grading outdoor sporting pitch provision provide clear recommendations for outdoor sporting developments and improvements based on future identified sporting demands.
• Through the community engagement process identified the most appropriate Legacy Community Sports Hub projects and partners for Argyll & Bute to work with to create a lasting legacy of participation opportunities in Argyll &Bute.

From the strategy we identified a major pitch facility gap in Campbeltown and since have undertaken further work leading the Team to develop a 3G football pitch at Kinloch Green which is a long awaited community project. This project hopes to be implemented this summer facilitated by our team.