South Ayrshire Council spent just over £2.1 million at the Citadel leisure centre over the last 15 years – having said it would cost more than £22m to refurbish.
One of the reasons given by the council for the erection of a new town centre facility was the condition of the Citadel – although it has previously admitted to not having carried out a full condition assessment in a 2020 report.
The question has now been raised as to the level of investment between 2007 and 2021 given the extent of rebuild claimed by the council.
A freedom of information request revealed that the council spent just over £2m on the Citadel since 2007/08, including just £168 in 2009/10.
The 'state-of-the-art gym' gym at the Ayr leisure centre was only developed in 2014.
In 2019, £276,182 was spent on accessibility, the diving pool and roof of the Citadel.
Some of the spend listed wasn't exclusively at the Ayr venue, with shared costs for work at Ayr, Prestwick, Girvan and Maybole accounting for around £200,000 between 2016/17 and 2017/18.
The council did spend a £2.5m on the Citadel in 2006/07 – just over a decade after its upgrade to a leisure centre.
Other projects carried out since 2007/08 include:
- Gym air conditioning – £25k
- Replacement lockers – £51k
- Lift access – £46k
- Automated doors – £83k
- Diving pool work – £75k
The council was contacted for comment.
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