3.4  Community and Leisure Facilities

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3.4.1       The Council is committed to the consolidation and improvement of existing communities and will endeavour to ensure that adequate public utilities, social, educational, leisure and health care facilities are provided and readily available for all sectors of the community.

3.4.2       The Community Plan has highlighted the value placed by local residents on access to leisure facilities and the concerns regarding the current level of provision of services (particularly in the Kirkintilloch area), and of suitable walkways and affordable leisure options. The Council clearly has a role to play in the provision of high quality affordable leisure services, and will do so in the context of providing best value to the residents of East Dunbartonshire and the Council.

3.4.3       A Strategy for the use of leisure and halls facilities is to be produced by the Council which will consider access to facilities by all members of local communities. The provision of a range of community facilities has land use implications and various needs and proposals have been identified below. Whilst some of these facilities will be provided directly by the Council, some will be provided by the private sector and many will involve community participation in implementation.

3.4.4       There is clearly an overlap between local ‘leisure’ and ‘tourist’ facilities. The proposals listed in table CF 1 should be read in conjunction with those in the Tourism Section of this plan, and also those improvements in the Transport Section which relate to access networks.

3.4.5       The Council will investigate ways of increasing the use of educational properties to improve the range and choice of leisure facilities available to local communities.

3.4.6       The Council is reviewing the school estate throughout East Dunbartonshire as a result of an identified need for significant investment in the school estate to address noted deficiencies in provision. The changing demographic profile of East Dunbartonshire will affect school rolls in future years and will require a review of the capacity of schools. A strategic driver of this review is to modernise the educational facilities to match changing teaching and learning needs whilst increasing and improving access, for residents to pursue recreational and lifelong learning activities. A schools Private Public Partnership (PPP) project, which represents the first phase of the planned investment programme, is in preparation, which provides the Council with the opportunity to remodel provision by ensuring that schools are able to provide excellent educational facilities for at least the next 30 years.

3.4.7       The Council is consulting on a number of development options, but the outcome of the consultation and decisions on the preferred options are not known at the time of preparing this Plan. However, the options are likely to see :

(a) the reprovision of some school buildings within existing school site boundaries, and

(b) in some instances, the amalgamation of more than one school onto one site or a shared campus.

3.4.8       Where option (b) is selected, this may result in one or more sites being declared surplus to educational requirements.  The future use of these sites will be assessed in terms of the policies of this Plan.

3.4.9       The scope of the PPP project was completed in June 2004. The first review of the School Estate Asset Management Plan (an approved Council policy document) by March 2005 will define the need, the appropriate capacity, the priorities and opportunities for investment across the full estate. The review will have analysed school capacity requirements to serve the projected local population need. On completion of that analysis the Council may require to consider the adoption of policy which seeks a contribution to the provision of additional school places to match new demand deriving from significant new housing proposals.

3.4.10     The Council considers that there is a need to identify further cemetery provision in Baldernock, Kirkintilloch and Lennoxtown as the existing cemeteries there are reaching their capacities. It is believed that the majority of residents choosing burial would prefer to be interred in the cemetery with which they and their predecessors are associated and it is therefore felt that extensions at, or as close as possible to existing cemeteries would be the preferred course of action. The Council has assessed various options and has identified their preferred locations as identified in CF Table 1. It is proposed to extend the Baldernock Cemetery on adjoining land southwards and the Auld Aisle Cemetery (Kirkintilloch) on land to the south or an alternative location which would satisfactorily meet local needs (see Schedule UC 2B). Ground north of St Machan’s Primary School (Geelong Gardens), Lennoxtown is the nearest potentially suitable location to the existing High Church cemetery. Full site investigations are required there to assess site suitability. The proposal would be implemented in a manner compatible with the nature conservation designation (see NE 2B).

CF 1  New and Improved Community and Leisure Facilities

The Council will assess local needs and demands for leisure, recreation and cultural activities through a strategy for leisure and halls facilities. Subject to the availability of finance, and in partnership with the private sector, the Council aims to provide an improved range of facilities. The future of various civic buildings, land and property will be assessed by the Council with a view to determining the optimum provision of local leisure and recreational facilities.

The following lists those new and improved facilities which are currently programmed or being actively investigated:

CF Table 1

Community and Leisure Facility Proposals

01.  Leisuredrome, Bishopbriggs	Integration of the Leisuredrome and surrounding land on the south bank of the Canal with water based leisure activity related to the Canal, and the improvement of sports and leisure facilities there.
02.  Kirkintilloch Town Centre	Through Kirkintilloch’s Initiative (see Schedule UC 2B), the opportunity exists to integrate leisure (including a new leisure centre/swimming pool), recreational, arts and tourist facilities in the town centre. (See  the Tourism Section references to the Canal, Roman remains and visitor interpretation, and the Transport Section relating to improved access to facilities.)
03.  Allander Sports Centre	The upgrading of facilities is currently being undertaken (Winter 2001/02). Further enhancement of the Centre for improved sport and leisure uses will be considered by the Council, particularly in view of the mixed use development proposals at Kilmardinny as identified in Schedule UC 2C.
04.  Facilities in Torrance	A local review will be undertaken, with community involvement, of the public facilities in Torrance, with the aim of providing the best community use of various Council buildings and land holdings (e.g. Caldwell Hall, the  Community Centre and the Balgrochan play area) as well as Woodmill Recreation Ground.
05.  Twechar Sports Hall	Support for the continued community management of the Hall and improvement to form a multi-purpose centre with leisure, recreation, community and business uses.
06.  Campsie Recreation Centre	Support for the continued community partnership and improvement of the centre for youth and community purposes.
07.  Facilities in      Lennoxtown	Improvements in line with the Lennoxtown Initiative as outlined in Urban Capacity Table UC 2D,  including a new leisure/recreation development on the west side of Station Road.
08. Derrywood/Baldoran, Milton of Campsie	Development of informal parkland and relocated play area (if site at Scott Avenue is developed - see Housing and Mixed Uses Table HMU 1).
09.  Rivers, lochs and reservoirs	Measures where appropriate to encourage fishing, canoeing and sailing (powered crafts other than rescue craft will be discouraged).
10. Cemetery expansion	The Council plans to expand three cemeteries to meet local needs. Preferred site options have been identified in each case:       a. Baldernock Cemetery - expansion south of the existing cemetery extension, on the east side of Craigmaddie Road,       b. Campsie Cemetery, Lennoxtown - land to the north of St. Machan’s Primary School, and       c. Auld Aisle Cemetery, Kirkintilloch - land to the south of the existing cemetery or an alternative location which would satisfactorily meet local needs.

CF 2  Protection and Development of Community and Leisure Facilities

The Council will generally encourage new and improved leisure and recreational opportunities, subject to other local plan policies. The loss of existing leisure and recreational land and facilities will generally be resisted, as will developments which adversely affect these uses, unless suitable replacements are provided or there is significant demonstrable community gain.

All proposals for new and improved facilities will be assessed against the following criteria:

a.   environmental and landscape impact,

b.   the compatibility of the use with the surrounding area, and in particular, the effect on residential amenity,

c.   the design of the proposal,

d.   suitable parking and access arrangements, and

e.   other local plan policies.

CF 3  Religious Buildings

The Council will be supportive of the development of new or expanded facilities to meet the religious needs of the community, providing that the proposal has no significant adverse environmental or local amenity impacts, as judged against the appropriate policies of the plan.

3.4.11     It is important that the public infrastructure (including water supply, sewerage, roads, railways, the Forth and Clyde Canal, telecommunications etc...) on which we depend for quality of life, is maintained and improved.

3.4.12     In recent years there have been significant investments in upgrading strategic sewerage and water mains and in restoring the Forth and Clyde Canal to navigation.

3.4.13     Further specific improvements to water treatment are proposed by West of Scotland Water in order to comply with European Regulations.

CF 4  Infrastructure Improvements by Statutory Undertakers

The Council will generally support and encourage improvements to public infrastructure (including water supply, sewerage, telecommunications or transportation) within East Dunbartonshire, as long as:

a.   a rigorous options assessment of all available locations or methods of working aimed at identifying the Best Practical Environmental Option has been carried out to the satisfaction of the Council,

b.   an appropriate level of environmental assessment demonstrates that environmental impact on natural and historic heritage, community wellbeing and transportation has been minimized to an acceptable level, and

c.   an appropriate transport assessment demonstrates that satisfactory access standards can be met.

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