Leisure Facilities Strategy Wrexham County Borough Council

1. Leisure Facilities Strategy Wrexham County Borough Council Final Version 13 November 2013

2. Our brief • Facilities overview and mapping • Review of the physical infrastructure • Usage analysis • Financial performance • Supply and demand of leisure facilities • Consultation • New Facility Feasibility • Recommendations Contents

3. Wrexham County Borough Council directly operates a portfolio of 11 sports facilities. Against the backdrop of targeted budget savings across the Council the cost of operating its leisure portfolio has been brought into sharper focus. The Sports Consultancy has been appointed to undertake a Leisure Facilities Strategy to identify the most appropriate mix of facilities, taking into consideration likely community need, current usage and the net costs of operating and maintaining the facilities. • The current portfolio consists of 5 community use facilities and 6 dual use facilities (which are located at and shared by schools): • Waterworld (community wet and dry centre) • Plas Madoc Leisure Centre (community wet and dry centre) • Chirk (community wet and dry centre) • Gwyn Evans (community wet and dry centre) • Queensway (athletics track, grass pitch and dry centre) • Clywedog (dual use wet and dry centre) • Rhosnesni (dual use wet and dry centre) • Ruabon (dry only) • Morgan Llwyd (dry only) • Darland (dry only) • Grango Synthetic Turf Pitch Our brief

4. The current net annual cost of operating the portfolio (excluding depreciation) was £1.8m in the 2012/13 financial year. • In tandem with the development of this Leisure Facilities Strategy, The Sports Consultancy has also undertaken a New Leisure Facility Feasibility on behalf of the Council. This has recommended the replacement of both Plas Madoc Leisure Centre and Waterworld on a site currently occupied by the Crown Buildings in the centre of Wrexham town centre. Together, these two current leisure facilities cost almost £900,000 to operate (or £1.2m including depreciation). Plas Madoc has reached the end of its useful life and is not considered fit for purpose; whereas Waterworld’s potential for its required extension and improvement is limited on its current footprint due to boundary constraints. • The recommendations that form part of this Facilities Strategy take into consideration: • The physical condition of each of the leisure facilities • Future repairs and maintenance • Actual usage of the facilities • Consultation with user groups and stakeholders • The ongoing cost of operating the facilities • Location and catchments • Supply and demand for leisure facilities in the County Borough • Potential for a new leisure centre. Our brief

5. Wrexham portfolio • Wrexham has a total of 12 public leisure facilities serving a County Borough population of 130,000. This portfolio comprises: • 5 Council (community) facilities (indicated in red) • 6 dual-use (school) facilities (green) • 1 tennis centre, already outsourced (blue) • The Tennis Centre is operated by a Trust and falls outside the scope of this strategy.

6. Scope of facilities

7. Facility mapping • The map illustrates a 2-mile radii around each of the Wrexham leisure facilities. This indicates that Wrexham seems to be overprovided in terms of the number of leisure facilities. We have used a 2-mile radius as 80% of a facility’s users is typically drawn from within a 2-mile catchment. With the exception of Darland, all dual use facilities’ catchments overlap with those of the community use leisure centres.

8. Facility mapping • Swimming Pools • Waterworld (25m x 6 lane) • Plas Madoc (20m x 3 lane) • Gwyn Evans (25m x 4 lane) • Chirk (25m x 4 lane) • Clywedog (20m x 4 lane) • Rhosnesni (20m x 4 lane)

9. Swimming Pools Mapping • 2 mile radius catchment • Blue: community pool • Red: school-based dual use • This indicates that there is considerable overlap in catchment between Clywedog, Rhosnesni and Waterworld in the centre of Wrexham. Facilities Mapping

10. Swimming pool location – proximity analysis • This indicates that there are two swimming pools (Clywedog and Rhosnesni within 1.5 miles of Waterworld and three within 3.6 miles. • The nearest alternative pool to Plas Madoc is Chirk, 5.1 miles away. Facilities Mapping

11. Observations and key issues • On the evidence of the location and mapping analysis it appears that the following facilities are located within the same catchments and will potentially be competing for the same users: • Swimming pools: Rhosnesni and Clywedog are located circa 1 mile from Waterworld • Health & fitness gyms: Queensway gym and Clywedog gym are both located circa 1 mile from Waterworld Facilities

12. Visual inspections of all 11 leisure facilities were undertaken in the summer 2013. The Architects AFLS&P reviewed Plas Madoc and Waterworld, whereas the Council’s team focused on the remaining 9 facilities. These inspections highlighted the current condition of the facilities and identified any works required in the immediate, short, medium and long term timescales. These were not detailed, intrusive condition surveys and further work should be done to further investigate some of the issues highlighted in more detail. • The condition surveys are appended to the Facility Feasibility Report and an overview is detailed within the main body of that report. In summary, however, the cost of the work identified is £2.86m, the majority of which (£1.7m) is related to Plas Madoc. • We have estimated that the Council is responsible for 96% of the cost of the maintenance, repairs and replacement, representing a cost of £2.74m (based on the assumption that the Council is responsible for the structure of the facilities, with the non-structural responsibilities split on a 50:50 basis with the school). The remaining £0.13m should be payable by the dual use schools under the terms of the agreements between the Council and the schools. Condition surveys

13. Plas Madoc accounts for the vast majority (at 58%) of the total identified costs. As the analysis later in this report will confirm, the facility only accounts for 20% of total usage as a proportion of total usage across the portfolio. • The identified works by facility are set out over the following pages. Condition surveys

14. Condition surveys

15. Condition surveys

16. Condition surveys

17. Potential additional costs • We should point out that improvements related to DDA compliance have not been costed in, save for the Plas Madoc and Chirk facilities, so total costs could be higher than presented here. • Also, pool-related leaks were identified at Waterworld, but as the void under the pool is inaccessible, it was not possible to either identify or cost a solution. The Council’s liability of £2.7m is therefore considered to be the minimum that should be budgeted for. • Having reviewed the items identified within the condition surveys, we would consider it very unlikely that the expenditure would lead to any improvement in the net-revenue generating capability of the portfolio. • Emerging recommendations and key issues arising from Condition Surveys • Plas Madoc is considered to have reached the end of its designed life and spending £1.7m on the recommended work is not considered good value for money. • Moreover, regardless of the current condition of the facilities, the sheer size of the portfolio necessitates significant annual investment in terms of maintenance, repair and replacement of assets. Condition surveys

18. Usage analysis • Waterworld is the County Borough’s most important leisure facility in terms of the level of usage it attracts (almost 400,000 per annum and 35% of the total). Plas Madoc attracts over 220,000, or 20% of the total usage. Together, the 6 dual use facilities generate almost 100,000 visits, or just under 9% of the total. The dual use centres account for just 8.8% of total usage, whilst representing 55% of the physical portfolio.

19. Introduction • This section details the usage of each of the facilities in terms of health & fitness, swimming and sports halls visits. This helps understand the relative importance of each facility and the extent of their contribution to delivering the Council’s leisure services. • Health & Fitness • There are 200 health and fitness stations (e.g. treadmill, bikes, resistance trainers) spread over 6 of the Council’s leisure facilities. • Our analysis of the usage of these gyms indicates the following: • With the exception of Waterworld, the other gyms are not well-used. The average hourly peak in 2012/13 in terms of number of users is highest at Waterworld (14 users), representing an average of 35% of operating capacity (14 users, 40 stations). • Plas Madoc attracts an average peak hourly attendance of 9 users, representing just 19% of capacity. • Usage at Queensway, Chirk and Gwyn Evans is 17% and below, attracting a peak hourly usage of just 4 people each. • Clywedog School gym appears to be almost completely redundant in terms of a community leisure facility. It attracts very little community usage - the average peak usage per hour is just 1 person per hour. Usage analysis

20. Health & fitness – peak hourly gym usage Usage Analysis

21. Usage Analysis • Health & Fitness • Whilst the usage at Gwyn Evans and Chirk is low, the facilities do nevertheless serve distinct catchments. Queensway, and Clywedog however, are located within circa 1 mile of Waterworld and serve the same catchment. Ideally, the stations at Queensway and Clywedog should be amalgamated with those on the Waterworld site, albeit the physical constraints at Waterworld currently rules this out as an option (unless a new facility is built). • Closing the gym would allow further staff reductions to be made at Queensway as it could then be managed remotely by staff at the new facility (we would suggest a full time team would not be required to manage the stadium). • NW Crusaders have said that the Queensway facility would be enhanced by the availability of a team/analysis room. The gym could therefore be converted to a more appropriate use at very little cost. • The Children’s Gym (20 fitness stations) could be relocated to a school. Although we have not yet received the usage data for this facility, it is likely that it would be better utilised located in a more accessible venue.

22. Swimming pool usage • The number of pool visits per annum across the portfolio appears to have increased by 12% since 2009. • Waterworld accounts for circa 50% of all swimming usage, Plas Madoc c24% and the dual use sites just 4.6%. Usage Analysis

23. Swimming pool – usage analysis • Whilst pool usage at Waterworld appears to have declined 12% over the past 3 years, a recent survey was undertaken of the pool users which showed that 40% did not have a valid ticket. Swimming lessons numbers have grown over the years whilst adult and junior attendances have reduced. Anecdotally and from occasional complaints from customers, the pool seems to be less accessible due to the pool space taken up by increasing lessons. Also in 2011 the slides were closed, rapids & bubble pool (the latter since reintroduced as a result of the use of technology) closed until 4 pm each day Monday to Friday in term time to reduce expenditure. WW used to offer the widest range of free swimming time of all the facilities. In the last 2 years forced changes have reduced the free swimming time available and consequently free swimming numbers have reduced substantially when compared with other sites. • Plas Madoc appeared to have a particularly good year in 2012/13. The driver for this is not clear, although the summer weather was bad in 2012 and new lockers were installed improving the changing area. Usage Analysis

24. Swimming pool – usage analysis • Rhosnesni pool usage has declined substantially since 2009. During the financial year 2011 - all public swimming and swimming lessons were stopped as a result of a change in the operation down to one supervisor lone working. The pool attracts an average of just 40 swimmers per week, or 8 per weekday. These could be accommodated elsewhere if the pool closed to public use. • Clywedog benefitted from the transfer of the swimming programmes and some block bookings from Gwyn Evans. Then with increased bookings and better recording, usage numbers improved in the year to March 2013. • Chirk – usage has increased significantly (albeit from a low base) since 2009. In 2011/12 the boiler was replaced and the 2012/13 increase versus the previous year was due to better data capture and recording. The opening of Oswestry Leisure Centre does not appear to have affected usage., indicating that it attracts a very local catchment. • Gwyn Evans reopened in January 2009 after a major refurbishment and then gradually over the years improved programmed activities and more bookings has increased usage figures. Again, a lot of usage had been missed due to things not being recorded through the booking system properly prior to 2012/13. Usage Analysis

25. Swimming pool – programming • Whilst there are six swimming pools serving the Wrexham population – which we would maintain would be too many compared to similar catchments - it is worthwhile understanding the specific roles each facility plays in terms of swim programming. • Wrexham appears to offer a balanced programme of swimming across its portfolio. Usage Analysis

26. Swimming pool – programming • The majority of public usage at the dual use sites is taken up by club hire and classes. There is no public swimming offered at either of these facilities. It is worth exploring with Clywedog whether the primary school swimming lessons hosted by Plas Madoc could be accommodated by the school during school hours. Chirk would also be a good alternative candidate to host primary school swimming if Plas Madoc were to close. Usage Analysis

27. Swimming pool – Plas Madoc School Usage • Plas Madoc is used by 7 Wrexham primary schools to deliver their swimming programmes. In the event Plas Madoc is closed, it appears most appropriate for these schools to use their next closest venues, which will be either Clywedog or Chirk: Usage Analysis • The average drivetime to Plas Madoc for these 7 schools is 5.3 minutes (1.8 miles). Moving these schools to alternative pools will, on average, increase their drivetime by 4.9 minutes (2.7miles, one-way) to 10.1 minutes. This is not considered an unreasonable increase. We have consulted with each of these schools, details of which are set out in the Consultation section of this strategy document.

28. Swimming pool – programming • The programmes on which we have based our analysis relate to lane swimming. We have not taken the leisure pool at Plas Madoc into consideration, only the 3 lane portion of the pool. • Our analysis shows that Plas Madoc and Waterworld have similar profiles, with around two-thirds of swimming lane hours set aside for public use. • There is virtually no club swimming at Plas Madoc • It indicates that Chirk is an important facility in terms of offering a balanced programme of swimming across the full spectrum of user categories, serving a local catchment • Around 10% of Plas Madoc’s programme is for school usage. Usage Analysis

29. Sports Hall Usage • Wrexham’s supply of accessible sports hall in the County Borough is the equivalent of 32 badminton courts. • We have researched the usage of these facilities to assess how busy they were during the 2012/13 financial year. • Ruabon, Gwyn Evans, Plas Madoc and Clywedog are well-used, with the facilities booked for 60%+ of the time they are open for public use. • Darland, Rhosnesni and Chirk sports halls are empty more often than they are used • Usage at Morgan Llwyd is very low. Usage Analysis

30. Synthetic turf pitch - Grango • The full-sized synthetic turf pitch (STP) at Grango School generated £6,600 in 2012/13, of which the Council retained 30% (or £1,990) under the terms of the usage agreement with the school (which retains 70% of the income). • Council income of £1,990 is very low given the Council seems to retain the burden of maintaining the facility; we would question whether this is a fair split. The Sports Consultancy’s database indicates that a well-performing full-sized STP should be expected to generate around £100,000 per annum. Grango’s exposed and relatively remote location prevents it from achieving the usage necessary to generate these income levels. However, given that an average 5 a-side pitch – which is significantly smaller in area - typically generates in the region of £40,000 to £50,000, Grango’s performance is considered to be poor. Usage Analysis

31. Synthetic turf pitch - Grango • The cost of hiring Grango for an hour is: • Full Pitch: £78.20 (Adult) or £50.05 (Junior) • Half Pitch £31.65 (Adult) or £21.10 (Junior) • We understand that the vast majority of bookings are to hire a half-pitch. Assuming an adult:junior usage split of 50:50, this suggests an average cost per session of around £26. There were 256 bookings in 2012/13, representing an average of 8 bookings per week in the 8 months it is open for use (Sept to March). This level of usage is considered to be very low given the lack of competition in the County Borough. We would suggest making the facility open for bookings during the entire year, extending across April to August which would allow it to benefit from the attraction of the better weather, as well as higher value summer camp bookings. • Whilst the operating performance of the facility appears to suggest it is underutilised, it is the Council’s only synthetic turf pitch and, as such it serves and identified community need. Moreover, as set out in the Consultation section within this report, the Welsh FA has identified Grango as a potential location for a football hub and academy. Usage Analysis

32. Plas Madoc usage - general • The postcode analysis of users of Plas Madoc Leisure centre (who visited the facility at least once during 2012/13) shows the majority of users are based outside of the immediate area. • This would suggest that the precise location of the facility is not important to the majority of users and is does not serve an exclusively local catchment. Usage Analysis

33. Plas Madoc users Facilities Strategy

34. The Equality Act 2010 • The Equality Act 2010 makes provision for the protection of people from discrimination on the grounds of such protected characteristics as their age, sex and disability. In terms of its policies, management and programming, the Council’s leisure portfolio is open to all and does not discriminate. However, the condition surveys highlighted certain areas where the physical infrastructure at Plas Madoc prevents the facility from offering the same terms and quality of usage to disabled users, specifically in the changing areas and access between floors (i.e. the lift is not compliant with the Act). • In order for the Council to comply with the Act it could either make reasonable adjustments to the existing building, or ensure that when/if a new facility be built it is designed without these physical barriers preventing equal treatment for disabled users. Usage Analysis

35. Observations and emerging issues • Our analysis of usage of the facilities has highlighted the following: • Plas Madoc accounts for 20% of all leisure usage and 24% of swimming visits • The health and fitness usage at Waterworld is far better than any of the other facilities. Queensway, Chirk and Gwyn Evans attracted an average hourly peak of just 4 people during the 2012/13. Clywedog attracted an average of just 1 person per hour. Whilst Chirk and Gwyn Evans serve specific local catchments, Queensway and Clywedog do not. We would therefore recommend that the fitness stations be amalgamated at a bigger gym, ideally Waterworld (albeit we understand the constraints of the current Waterworld site). • Plas Madoc does not exclusively serve a specific local catchment and draws users from a wide area. The specific location of the facilities provided therein is therefore less of an issue. • Rhosnesni pool attracts very few users (an average of just 8 per day). These swimming visits should be able to be accommodated elsewhere by other pools in the portfolio. The rationale for the Council continuing to operate the pool is weak. • In the event Plas Madoc closes, the primary school swimming lessons could be hosted by both Chirk and Clywedog, the two nearest alternatives for the 7 primary schools that regularly use Plas Madoc. Usage Analysis

36. Observations and emerging issues • The sports halls are relatively well used, with the exception of Morgan Llwyd, the reasons for which are not clear but we would suggest that its close proximity to Rhosnesni (less than 1 mile away) and Glyndwr University Sports centre (2 miles away) is the overriding factor. • The Council should explore the potential to extend the opening period for the Grango into the summer holidays to drive usage and revenue from summer camps. It is currently very poorly used and generates less that £2,000 for the Council, despite the Council retaining the responsibility for it management and maintenance. Usage Analysis

37. Overview • The net cost to the Council of operating the 11 in-house facilities is £1.8m (2012/13 actual). Plas Madoc and Waterworld cost a combined £0.9m to operate per year on turnover of £1.85m. Going forward, the cost of operating Plas Madoc is projected to increase significantly as refurbishment, repairs and replacement of the structure and plant and machinery is required. Financial Performance

38. Financial Performance • Key Performance Indicators (2012/13) • The Sports Consultancy maintains an operational database of over 250 UK public leisure facilities (52.9% of which are Council-run), containing over 500 financial records. We have compared the financial performance of Wrexham’s facilities against these records, focusing on the following key metrics: • Income per visit • Subsidy per visit • Cost recovery • The performance of each facility is detailed over the following pages.

39. Financial Performance • Key Performance Indicators (2012/13) • Income per visit

40. Financial Performance • Key Performance Indicators (2012/13) • Subsidy per visit

41. Financial Performance • Wrexham Leisure Centres Financial Key Performance Indicators • % cost recovery

42. Financial Performance • Wrexham Leisure Centres Financial Key Performance Indicators • The entire portfolio is generally underperforming across the range of KPIs • The income per visit generated by both Plas Madoc and Waterworld is circa 20% below the UK average generated by wet and dry centres • The income per visit generated by all of Wrexham’s leisure facilities is below the UK average • The income per visit generated by the dual use centres is up to 75% worse than the average dual use centre performance • The subsidy per visit at Plas Madoc is 1.2x higher than the UK average (£2.49 v £1.13).

43. Financial Performance • Observations and emerging issues • There is no prospect of Plas Madoc’s operating or financial performance improving. Indeed, as the building ages, the maintenance costs are likely to increase and the financial burden of operating the facility will be exacerbated. • Waterworld’s performance is severely impaired by the physical constraints of the facility. The size of the fitness gym is a limiting factor in maximising income generation. This cannot be extended beyond 40 stations , although the market analysis indicates that there is significant latent demand to justify a gym of a significant scale (120 stations). • The dual use centres are underperforming and remain a financial burden to the Council. They account for 8.8% of total visits but only 6.8% of income, and 12.3% of subsidy. The cost to the Council of the dual use centres is almost £220,000 per year.

44. Financial Performance • Observations and emerging issues • In TSC’s opinion, one of the key reasons why the individual performance of each facility is so poor is because the portfolio is too large and the usage and income generation are spread too thinly. At almost £2m per year, the cost of operating the portfolio is considered to be completely unsustainable. • Continuing to retain such a large portfolio of buildings will mean that the Council retains the associated risks and responsibilities regarding maintenance of these assets. The cost of maintenance is likely to continue to increase as these facilities age.

45. Introduction • Detailed demand and supply analysis for Wrexham has been completed for swimming pools and sports halls using Sport Wales’ Facility Planning Model (FPM). This provides a robust, industry recognised, assessment of supply and demand for these facility types. • In addition to the findings of the FPM, an assessment of supply and demand for health and fitness facilities was commissioned from specialist market research company (The Leisure Database Company). Supply and Demand

46. The key findings from the supply and demand analysis are: • Swimming Pools • Permanent closure of Plas Madoc has a negative impact in the overall supply but most users will be displaced to other facilities in the County Borough without significant impact on accessibility for those currently using Plas Madoc, apart perhaps from those accessing via walking. There are alternative local pools, most notably Chirk and Oswestry (North Shropshire), which could accommodate increased use, as well as the potential replacement for Waterworld. Therefore, the impact of the closure of Plas Madoc can be mitigated through access to alternative facilities and the replacement of Waterworld, particularly if a larger, preferable, 8-lane pool option is chosen. Supply and Demand

47. Sports Halls • Currently the area around Plas Madoc is very well provided for, in terms of sports halls, arguably overprovided for. The closure of Plas Madoc has a negative impact in the overall supply for the County Borough; however most users will be displaced to other facilities in the County Borough, without significant impact on accessibility for those currently using Plas Madoc. By closing Plas Madoc the area becomes similar to the rest of Wrexham. In essence, there are alternative local halls, which could accommodate displaced users from Plas Madoc. Therefore, the impact of the closure of Plas Madoc is not significant. • In central Wrexham, however, the analysis identified a deficit of provision of 8-12 badminton courts. This is relevant to take into consideration when deciding on the future of the facilities in the town centre, particularly the dual use sites. Supply and Demand

48. Health & Fitness stations • The data from The Leisure Database indicates that is greater scope for additional fitness provision in the town centre compared to the Plas Madoc area. If Plas Madoc leisure centre were to be rebuilt on its existing site, we would recommend that an additional provision of just 4 extras stations be provided, i.e. 54 compared to the current level of 48 stations. However, if a new facility were to be built adjacent to the current Waterworld facility then the market would justify and additional 80 stations (120 compared to the current 40 stations at the existing Waterworld gym). The size of the gym is relevant because it is a key revenue generator; investment in the town centre will attract higher user numbers than Plas Madoc and therefore generate greater revenue. Supply and Demand

49. Introduction • We have contacted over 60 organisations with a vested interested in the Wrexham portfolio, including clubs, user groups, schools and national governing bodies, in order to better understand the leisure portfolio from a wider perspective. We had a good response to our approaches, receiving written responses from 10 strategic stakeholders and 17 user groups. We have also consulted with all 5 of the dual use schools, 4 of which have provided written responses to our questions. The respondees are listed here. Consultation

50. Swim Wales • Wrexham’s pool provision plays a vital role in delivering Swim Wales strategy in the locality. With no accessible private / alternate provision we are entirely reliant on Local Authority partners to help deliver National Swim Wales and Sport Wales initiatives. Swim Wales has affiliated Swimming clubs operating from the facilities: • Wrexham Swimming Club – operates primarily from Waterworld, (plus Gwyn Evans and Clywedog). • Wrexham Aquatics Club –primarily water polo (Waterworld) • Chirk Swimming Club – operating from Chirk Leisure Centre • There are three primary functions that the facilities provide: • Performance Swimming • Pathway opportunities (water polo and other aquatics activities) • Delivery of the Welsh Learn to Swim Programme – Aqua Passport • Swim Wales considers the provision, quality and management of facilities in Wrexham to be good and in challenging financial circumstances this is far better than some other providers elsewhere in Wales. Consultation – Strategic Stakeholders