Wellbeing Hub and Lochies School plans lodged with Clacks Council

The plans for the Wellbeing Hub and Lochies School project have this month been published on Clackmannanshire Council’s planning portal.

To be built in the west of Alloa, the vision is for the site to be a place for the Wee County community to improve fitness, health and general wellbeing with ambitions to appeal to all ages and abilities.

The development will look to become a “social hub encouraging group activities and intergenerational interaction”, the design and access statement explained.

A new Lochies School will also be built as part of the project with the co-location offering an opportunity to use a wide range of facilities and flexibility of spaces to expand the experiences of all users.

Key offerings at the Wellbeing Hub will include a six-lane, 25m, pool with spectator seating, a training pool with a moveable floor, a changing village, multi-functional community spaces, indoor children’s soft play, a fitness suite, a four-court sports hall and a café.

Lochies plans are for a high-quality ASN school in an accessible location and with increased pupil capacity.

The building will have a capacity of 54 pupils, designed as nine classes of six, depending on pupil needs.

The school will include support facilities such as a hydrotherapy pool and gym along with access to a secure outdoor play space.

And as previously highlighted, all will be built to Passivhaus Certification, aligning with ambitions to lower carbon emissions in a bid to tackle climate change.

Extensive pre-application consultation has already taken place with stakeholder groups to help inform the design.

Throughout the process, there has been a “collective desire” to “create an environment where the whole community feels welcome and safe, and, where inclusivity, equity and accessibility are central to the entire user journey”.

The site, known as The Pavillions and located just of Smithfield Loan, is “generous in size” at around 6.5Ha and is embedded in a landscape setting, framed by the Ochils to the north and the Forth to the south.

The form of the building will emulate a hill scape with peaks and valleys undulating to reflect the functions of spaces within.

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Outside, plans show a series of courtyards on the western edge while courtyards for Lochies will be bounded by single storey classroom elements with lantern features allowing daylight into the corridor spaces.

Lochies will be located on the south side of the complex while the Wellbeing Hub will be entered from the centre of the plan.

There will be a café and soft play access off the main entrance along with a community garden beyond.

A games hall and pool halls will be located on the ground floor with a fitness suite spread over two levels at the northern end.

The vision for the first floor is to be a community-oriented space with two multi-purpose rooms and consultation rooms centred around an upstairs café space.

The plans include a wide range of documentation, available under 24/00149/FULL on the council’s planning portal.

The council's Planning Committee will consider the proposals in the coming months, likely in October.