HUNTLY MULTI SPORTS HUB: FEASIBILITY STUDY

Transcription

1 HUNTLY MULTI SPORTS HUB: FEASIBILITY STUDY Executive Summary May 2011

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3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Feasibility Study Objectives The Huntly Development Trust (HDT) brief for the feasibility study was to: develop and assess the feasibility of establishing and promoting a RCDH at Huntly. The results will allow HDT and its partners to make a more informed decision on whether to pursue an RCDH project at Huntly, and if so, how. The brief included a requirement for consultation with key stakeholders, a review of impact, technical, legal and organisational issues, community consultation and preparing an outline business plan. A vision and driving principles for the Huntly Multi-Use Sports Hub has been identified based on the conclusions from the consultations, policy fit, site appraisal, market assessment and results from the Drop In / Exhibition event held on 12 February This is highlighted below and Chapter 5 of the Final Report also summarises market assessment/target users, revenue streams and outline cash flow benefits, management structure, implementation strategy and next steps Vision & Driving Principles The Huntly Multi Sports Hub will be a welcome and safe place to take part in sport and physical activity focusing but not exclusively on the cycling and Nordic skiing disciplines and delivering quality international class sports facilities and sport development. This will include talent pathways to improve individual performance with a focus on high performance sport. Young people will be at the heart of programming, as well as the aim to maintain the participation of existing user groups by providing them with significantly improved facilities. The new and improved facilities will provide more opportunities to participate in sport and physical activity and assist in the training and development of the coaches and volunteers that will make the Multi-Use Sports happen. The Multi Sports Hub will be home to a number of self sustainable sports clubs/organisations with an ethos of good inter club relations, volunteering and genuine community engagement and leadership. This will be a base where a range of local sports clubs can work together and a social environment that engages members of the wider community in Huntly and the surrounding area. Overall the Huntly Multi Sports Hub will provide improved access for local people and sports clubs at affordable prices and also minimise the long-term financial obligations be it annual subsidies, maintenance or capital expenditure. As a result of the Hub, Huntly is becoming established as a centre for cycling tourism and cycling events. Promoting Huntly and District for Cycling: Wider Economic Development Opportunities There is also significant potential to promote cycle tourism in the area with Huntly town as a base and focal point for integrating local cycle routes with longer national routes. This could include establishing connections to the National Cycle Routes 1 at Turriff and 195 at for example Ballater. (see Chapter 3) Huntly and district and the RCDH could then be promoted as part of a wider cycling holiday product with something special to offer all types of on and off-road cyclists. The aim would be to provide a variety of high quality routes accessible from Huntly town centre, together with cyclist-friendly facilities, services and information. Cycling events could also then be added to the local calendar of events. For example the Etape Caledonia in Highland Perthshire now attracts around 5,200 participants and has a significant positive impact on the local economy. Financial Analysis & Viability: Conclusions The analysis of revenue and expenditure over three years and based on cautious assumptions (Table 5.1) shows that the revenue streams assumed would not cover their annual costs and would show an operating deficit/gap of 17.8k in year 1, HUNTLY MULTI SPORTS HUB: FEASIBILITY STUDY: Executive Summary 1

4 15.3k in year 2 and an 13.3k in year 3. However, if the anticipated annual income is increased by 15% and anticipated annual expenditure is reduced by 10% then the funding gap in year one is reduced to 9.6k, 6.1k in year two and results in a profit of 7k in year 3. Alternative sources of funding this gap will need to be identified and this could include Aberdeenshire council as part of their ongoing Lottery Funding commitment to HNOC and Sportsmatch sponsorship for example and other funding sources are identified in Chapter 5. Ownership: Management Structure: Governance Aberdeenshire Council who currently own the majority of the Huntly Riverside site and run the HNOC are actively considering the centre s future within the context of the Council s revenue budget for and the challenging current public sector funding position. At this point no budget has been formally identified but the Council have made a commitment to keep HNOC operating while all options are explored. As a consequence Snowsport Scotland is actively preparing a bid to manage and operate the HNOC based on a say twenty five year lease and working closely with Huntly Nordic Ski Club and the local community. In these circumstances two options for delivering and managing the completed Huntly Multi Sports Hub in say 2013, have been identified and assessed. The Community Interest Company option clearly has more advantages and fewer disadvantages. This option ensures that the Huntly Multi Sports Hub would all be under one management regime to ensure medium and long term synergies are maximized and day to day issues are dealt with effectively. The Option would also ensure active local community involvement and wider participation in sport. The community interest company or similar would need to explore alternative revenue funding sources and sponsorship possibilities. Delivering the Hunty Multi Sports Hub: Effective Partnership Snowsport Scotland and Scottish Cycling in the first instance will need to champion the project and drive forward the proposals for the Huntly Multi Sports Hub. They will need to be genuinely enthusiastic about working with the community and other public, private and third sector partners in Huntly and elsewhere to realise the vision. HDT should continue to promote the project at a local level and could assist in local project management. Public sector partners in particular Aberdeenshire Council, will have essential role to play in supporting the move to community interest company ownership and providing some short term subsidy. HDT, Huntly Nordic Ski Club and other local users and partners will need to use supporting skills, expertise and resources to help secure delivery of the different components of the Multi Sports Hub. A joined-up approach will be essential, with the need to build mutual trust and ensure effective co-ordination focussed on delivering the Multi Sports Hub. Conclusions The regional scale of the proposals, the innovative nature of the Multi Sports Hub and the aim to involve the wider Huntly community and the difficult funding climate make this a challenging project to deliver. Ongoing work will be needed to continue to convince partners and stakeholders that the project is viable and deliverable. The vision and outline business plan that are summarised above will ensure that the following six important objectives that have been identified for Huntly Multi Sports Hub project are met namely: Ensuring that the future of HNOC is secured and that full public access to the wider Huntly Riverside area is maintained and that the Huntly Multi Sports Hub has an excellent fit with the wider policy and initiatives in Huntly; Promoting an innovative Multi Sports Hub that includes a regional cycle development component to meet the developing needs of the various cycling disciplines like road, cyclo cross, mountain biking and BMX and other sports; Ensuring that the Multi Sports Hub offers shared facilities promotes cross use, performance coaching, joint training, shared staff and running costs with a focus on quality international-class sports facilities and sport development: 2 HUNTLY MULTI SPORTS HUB: FEASIBILITY STUDY: Executive Summary

5 talent pathways to improve individual performance with a focus on high performance sport will be essential; Ensuring that the Multi Sports Hub is self supporting, generates income and minimizes revenue grant support and is sustainable in the long term: a number of different sources of income and sponsorship have been identified so that the project can cope with changes in market demand over time and so manage risk; Promoting what will be a unique and eventually community owned asset that could become a transformational project in repositioning economic development opportunities in Huntly as an outdoor activities focused town that embraces walking, cycling, skiing and other sports; Ensuring that the Huntly Multi Sports Hub is home to self sustainable sports clubs/organisations with an ethos of good inter club relations, volunteering and genuine community engagement and a strong programme of community activity that will appeal to young people, families, older people and local businesses. HUNTLY MULTI SPORTS HUB: FEASIBILITY STUDY: Executive Summary 3

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