Council agrees 2010-11 Asset Management and Capital Plan

With implications for Campbeltown, Helensburgh and Mull, Argyll and Bute Council yesterday agreed its 2010-2011 Corporate Asset Management and Capital Plan – effectively its capital expenditure plan for the period.

Within the plan, an outline business case is to be drawn up into three future options in relation to five schools in the Campbeltown area.

The five schools in question are: Campbeltown Grammar School with Castlehill, Dalintober, St Keirans and Drumlemble Primary Schools with associated Pre-5 units.

The options to be considered are:

• to continue the existing piecemeal modernisation plans for all five schools
• to continue piecemeal modernisation plans for four primaries, and construct a new secondary school on the existing Campbeltown Grammar site
• to construct a new joint campus (pre-5, primary and secondary) on the site of the existing Campbeltown Grammar School.

In the case of Helensburgh, the Council is to complete a revised Outline Business Case for the new Helensburgh swimming pool and leisure facility. We understand that this results in good measure from the constructive exercise carried out earlier for the Council by PMR Leisure.

Among the other areas of capital spend agreed at yesterday’s meeting were:

• £4.2million for roads reconstruction in 2010-2011, and – as a priority – developing a revised Roads Asset. Management Plan which will appraise options to address the long term condition of the 2,300km roads network
• £2.725million for the CHORD programme in 2010-2011 (the Council is committed to total CHORD funding of £30.8million over the years 2010 to 2016).
• The construction of a new landfill cell at Glengorm Landfill site on Mull.
• The completion of Outline Business Cases for new Biomass and Wind Turbine technologies in partnership with the Carbon Trust and in line with the Council’s Carbon Management Programme.

Council Leader Dick Walsh said the Corporate Asset Management and Capital Plan would be reviewed and updated throughout 2010-2011. ‘This plan reflects the Council’s Strategic Capital investment priorities and service plans to support strategic change, service development and asset sustainability projects in 2010-11.

‘The programme identifies and addresses the Council’s strategic planning priorities which include the CHORD programme, school replacement and road and infrastructure projects.

‘We will be updating the plan on a regular basis throughout the year as information changes and will also be pursuing all other potential funding sources, including from Europe’.