Residents object to Alloa wellbeing hub over remote location

The 20 objections have been lodged against proposals for the Wellbeing Hub and Lochies School, planned to be built on a site off Smithfield Loan in the west of the town.

Plans are progressing at pace with the local authority seeking to create a state-of-the-art facility and all seem to agree that a swimming pool is long overdue.

However, objectors have raised concerns over a range of issues.

Location, location, location...

(Image: Clackmannanshire Council/jmarchitects)

While there are other worries, such as around flooding and contraventions of the National Planning Framework, people and groups against the proposal say the leisure facilities should be in a central location, similar to the former Alloa Leisure Bowl which closed in 2020 to leave the town with no public swimming pool.

Indeed, some even suggested that the former Leisure Bowl, now demolished and a brownfield site, the long-vacant Greenfield House and the former police station at Marshill could form a “community campus” in what is already a well-connected area.

Objecting to the plans, Sauchie resident Neil Scott wrote: “There seems to be an overwhelming support amongst the local public for a leisure centre facility to be located in a central position and Alloa, as Clackmannanshire's largest market town, with the best transport links and connections, is best to host this type of venue centrally within the town and make it a success and sustainable in the short and longer term.

“An out of town option, such as what is proposed, has many challenges for the local public to access the amenities to start with.”

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Representatives previously insisted that the site they selected off Smithfield Loan, dubbed The Pavilions, is the only location big enough to accommodate the project in its current shape and scope, including a desired mix of facilities.

Flooding concern

Objectors are also concerned about flood risks and SEPA has placed a holding objection on the proposals.

To remove the holding objection, SEPA said that an open drain to the northwest of the site should be investigated with regards to fluvial, or river, flood risk.

The environmental protection agency is also looking for confirmation as to whether any culverts beneath the site are proposed to be diverted.

“If not, the site plan will have to be adjusted so that there are no culverts underneath any proposed development in accordance with our position on developing on to of culverts”, the objection added.

Transport and travel

(Image: Clackmannanshire Council)

In terms of accessing the location, the Advertiser previously reported on a transport assessment for the £77.5m project, which will also include a new ASN school.

Exploring likely travel demand, the assessment looked at walking, cycling and wheeling, public transport, private vehicles and multi-modal transport opportunities.

While the site is easily accessible on foot, it is a slightly more than 20-minute walk from the very heart of the town centre, according to the document.

However, the council’s own Roads and Transportation department has raised concerns, including that walking times suggested in the document do not reflect real life ones.

Initial feedback from the team said active travel provision “is not considered adequate” and the NCN76 cycle route is “only really attractive during daylight hours and for those arriving/leaving immediately east or west along the NCN route”.

The team recommended lighting to be introduced on the cycle route between the site and Cambus.

And the feedback went on to say: “Access to the north towards the Claremont area of Alloa is generally poor by both walking and cycling and the isochrones in the [transport assessment] document do not adequately reflect real life walking/cycling routes and times.”

The area is poorly served by public transport currently, however, the transport assessment did suggest that “innovative transport solutions” could be developed.

The council’s transport team added that “one option may be to consider the provision and maintenance of a suitability timetabled shuttle bus service that links key areas within the council to the site or an alternative such as Demand Responsive Transport”.

Demands for town centre first approach

Another concern is that the local authority is looking to develop on a greenfield, currently for agricultural use, although not “prime” land.

Objectors believe that developing on green land, rather than bringing a brownfield site back to use, goes against National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) policies.

Also highlighted were policy 15: Local Living and 20 minute neighbourhoods and policy 27, which seeks to promote development with a town centre first approach for economic, environmental and societal benefit.

The above were mentioned by Alloa First, the town’s business improvement district organisation, which complained that “we are unaware of any consultation with the local business community regarding the proposed location”.

Other NFP4 policies around sustainable transport and design were highlighted by Alloa resident Teresa McNally MBE.

At the time of writing, there were 20 objections to the plans along with four neutral representations and no supporting comments.

'Absolutely the right site'

(Image: Peter Lawson)

During a council meeting at the end of August, council leader Ellen Forson was assured that the old leisure centre site would not physically be able to fit the new Wellbeing Hub and Lochies School – especially not in its current, highly accessible design.

The Pavilions site measures some 6.5 hectares, compared to the one-hectare site of the former leisure bowl.

At the meeting, education spokesperson Graham Lindsay added that the current site has “always been a no-brainer”.

He said: “The sheer size and scale of the Alloa West site compared to the previous site speaks for itself in terms of what we’re trying to achieve.

“I couldn’t be any more blown away by the level of detail and work that has gone into this. It’s my aspiration that this becomes one of the most inclusive facilities in the country, and it should be a huge sense of pride for everyone involved.

"This is a great opportunity for Clackmannanshire, and this is absolutely the right site.”

As reported in 2021, two sites were considered for the new leisure facilities, one being the former Alloa Leisure Bowl.

The plans, available under reference 24/00149/FULL, are now set to go in front of the Planning Committee.