MEMBERS of the public should have more access to swimming pools in private facilities such as hotels and holiday parks, a member of Cornwall Council’s Conservative Cabinet has suggested. The comments came as members signed off a new plan for leisure activity across Cornwall over the next decade.

The Framework for Leisure Activity in Cornwall 2024-2034 sets out its plans driven by the mission statement that “in Cornwall, every person should have the support, opportunity and environment to be more active more often, to benefit their health and wellbeing”.

It acknowledges the financial challenges facing local authorities across the UK, and looks at innovative ways of working with partners to ensure there is access to good quality leisure provision for the next ten years and beyond. It comes after a number of leisure facilities within Cornwall have been devolved to local groups to run.

Cllr Louis Gardner, Cabinet member for the economy who represents Newquay, said he would like to see the inclusion of the private sector in Cornwall’s leisure plans for the future.

“Cornwall Council can’t provide facilities for every single community in Cornwall,” he said. “We’ve got over 150 swimming pools in Cornwall – that’s probably more than any other county in the UK, but most of those are in hotels and holiday parks. So what we need to do is work together with these places to allow the public access into those facilities, particularly in the winter months.

“There’s a double whammy there – not just the community benefits – but actually it helps the business in the quieter months in a very seasonal economy.”

He said he was glad to see discussions with the private sector mentioned in the leisure plan, but he wanted to see more of it.

The largest pool in Cornwall is actually in a private facility, Hendra Holiday Park in Newquay, which is open to the general public for eight months of the year. Cllr Gardner said the holiday park has benefited from out of season use from the wider community as a result.

A report to Cabinet members said: “It is important to recognise that there is no magic wand for the significant challenges faced in the sports and leisure sector. All our built facilities are old and require investment, the volatility of the energy market is still impacting the industry, and the cost-of-living crisis continues to make it challenging for operators to deliver a sustainable service. Our evidence-based approach, backed up by a clear set of principles, will support future planning and funding.”

A number of leisure developments across Cornwall are highlighted in the framework report. Saltash Leisure Centre is part of the council’s estates transformation programme – a bid to save money, including the transfer of assets to other bodies – and negotiations are ongoing between the council and Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) to develop an Integrated Service Hub, a first of its kind in Cornwall where council services are delivered from a leisure centre.

Since the council awarded the Friends of Wadebridge Leisure Centre (FOWLC) the contract to operate Wadebridge Leisure Centre in 2022, alongside delivering a positive programme of community engagement, the community interest company has been successful in being awarded Community Ownership Funds and Community Levelling Up Funds for essential upgrades to the centre.

Launceston Leisure Centre was handed back to the Coronation Park Trust, the freehold owners, in January 2023. There are plans to extend and develop the leisure centre, including a new café.

Carn Brea Leisure Centre has been operated by Carn Brea Leisure Trust since 2000. The centre provides sport and leisure facilities to over 600,000 visitors each year. The Trust has funding opportunities in the pipeline to make essential repairs to the roof and running track, and has recently received £100,000 in funding. The running track is the only eight-lane track in Cornwall that is “county standard” and is used by many sports clubs. Investment is needed into the track surface and floodlighting, which have both reached the end of their life cycle.

An example of private leisure facility opening its doors to the wider public is the Sir Ben Ainslie Sports Centre based in the grounds of Truro School, which is inviting members of the community to enjoy family swim sessions at a special offer price of just £2 per person on December 24, 28, 29 and 31.