Galleon Centre wishlist unveiled as five upgrades listed for huge refurbishment

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A wishlist for a refurbished Galleon Leisure Centre has been drawn up by its operators.But rising costs of between £20m to £25m is likely to mean some facilities are ruled out.Kilmarnock Galleon Leisure Trust’s proposals include:They also seek further improvements on the exterior and to the mechanical and electrical systems.A tentative timescale suggests that the newly refurbished centre could be finished by December 2026.A report to East Ayrshire Council states: “It is important to highlight that although this is the preferred option by the Galleon Trustees, this is unlikely to be affordable within the financial envelope already approved.”It adds that a review of the capital budget will ‘undoubtedly’ lead to a reduction in how much the council spends.The need to improve the Galleon followed an assessment in 2018, which highlighted the deterioration of the building, which was opened in 1987.Officials had recommended building a new centre at the Galleon site, at an estimated cost of £33m.In June 2019, councillors opted to refurbish and repurpose the Galleon, with £13.85m allocated for the work, albeit recognising it would likely require additional funds.This was confirmed later when the estimated cost was raised to £17.75m.

The latest update shows that costs have risen once again, to £20.6m, largely due to the impact of Covid, Brexit and rising energy costs.

The Galleon was significantly impacted by the Covid pandemic through 2020, which effectively brought their income stream to a halt.

This did, however, provide an opportunity to re-evaluate the plans.The report states: “It is recognised that there is potential to develop the Galleon project in a more connected manner with other town centre priorities.“There is