Concerns over late opening of Fife leisure facility

The move comes after Fife Sport and Leisure Trust bosses revealed which centres will open first when they get the green light from the Scottish Government – and the Beacon in Burntiusland will be last.

The concerns expressed by local members also comes after Fife Council’s administration requested a site meeting at the Beacon to scrutinise the re-opening proposals which had put the facility last on the list.

However, the chief executive of Fife Sports and Leisure Trust (FSLT) said there were a number of issues preventing it from opening earlier.

These included challenges in the layout of the building.

Kirkcaldy area committee convener Neil Crooks said the administration had requested the site meeting at the Beacon to scrutinise the re-opening proposals which had put the Beacon to last place in terms of the Trust facilities: “I have publicly stated my concerns previously about FSLT pursuing closure of the Beacon, he said.

“When I saw the re-opening plans all sorts of alarm bells started ringing.

“However the chief executive Emma Walker kindly organised a visit for the administration councillors, and I now appreciate the Scottish Government requirements cannot be met at the facility.

“Some issues are technical and others are weaknesses in the building layout and design. We emphasised our political will is to have the Beacon open and available as soon as possible but that can’t be at the expense of the health and safety of our staff or customers.

“Discussions will continue to find solutions and hopefully the restrictions imposed by the Scottish Government will loosen if the coronavirus battle can be won.”

Burntisland councillor Kathleen Leslie said: “Only last year we saw rumours rife that the Beacon was under threat of closure.

“Now 13 centres operated by FSLT are to open before it.

“The Beacon boasts a swimming pool which is used as both a leisure pool and by a local swimming club, and a gym that is also well used. It should be opening in mid-September along with other centres – not left until late October. That is both ridiculous and unacceptable.”

“The longer it remains closed the more revenue is lost and the more likely people are to look elsewhere for their gym and swim. That benefits nobody.”

Fellow ward councillor Gordon Langlands also wondered why the centre was last on the list: “Given previous concerns about the perilous finances of FSLT and the petition from Burntisland Swimming Club earlier this year voicing concerns about cutting opening hours, this does not bode well for the viability of the Beacon going forward,” he said.

“It is to be hoped FSLT will meet soon with all the local elected councillors, swimming club and other stakeholders to ensure that the pool, gym and football pitches are opened to the public much sooner than October and that opening hours and staffing are maintained at pre Covid levels.”

Emma Walker said: “The trust is working in line with the Scottish Government’s Covid-19 Route map and we have been working hard to get our facilities Covid secure following the highest level of health and safety protocols.

“We hosted a tour of the Beacon Leisure Centre on Monday for elected members and outlined the reasons why the facility will open later than some of our other sites.

“The reason we are taking a phased approach to re-opening facilities is that some of our sites are more compatible to achieving the necessary level of social distancing than others – the Beacon Leisure Centre presents a number of challenges due to its layout and swimming pool configuration under the Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.

“We were able to demonstrate to the elected members this position and they understood our approach which prioritises the health and safety of our customers and staff. As a charitable trust, we are committed to delivering accessible, affordable leisure opportunities for local communities, and, during the Covid lockdown we have continued to engage with our customers with a wide range of online, live streamed fitness sessions – catering for all ages and abilities.

“The trust is eager to get doors open and welcome back customers and we will do so as soon as we are able.”

Councillor Judy Hamilton, convener of Fife Council’s Community and Housing Services Committee, added: “It was very interesting to visit the Beacon Leisure Centre and to meet with officials from Fife Sports and Leisure Trust, who outlined to us the tremendous amount of work that they are undertaking to re-open the Beacon safely and in line with current guidelines, to support our health and wellbeing.

“We are anticipating a gradual and sensitive re-opening in coming weeks and months - and I thank the trust for their attention to the detail of this.”