Dave Thompson MSP

Dave Thompson SNP MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch has expressed his concern at the U-turn by Highland Council for deciding not to include Lochaber Sports Association’s multi-sport indoor training facility on their agenda at the full council meeting, as was originally planned, this Thursday, 12th March.

The urgent need for this facility was highlighted in a fully independent Feasibility Study jointly commissioned by LSA and Highland Council in 2012.

Mr Thompson said, “I have been a long-time supporter of the project to bring an indoor training facility to Lochaber, which the community desperately need and have been a long time in the planning.

“It seems the council have reneged on a promise to discuss the Lochaber Sports Association project this week.

“The project is shovel ready and one in which the people of Lochaber have invested heavily over the last five years, financially, professional and emotionally.

“It is not for me to speculate as to why this might be but I would urge in the interests of fairness and transparency that this vital project is included, as was previously agreed, on the Agenda of this Thursday’s Council Meeting.

“I cannot stress the importance of the project being timeously discussed by the council as to not do so would have a detrimental effect on other funding Lochaber Sports Association has set up.

“Finally, I would like to offer my unequivocal support once more to the project going ahead with all the requisite funding to make that happen”.

Notes:

The total cost is estimated at £1.47m inc. VAT, of which £500k has been pledged in principle by sportscotland and £600k by Highland Council. After a year of unsuccessful negotiations between Lochaber Sports Association and HMRC to zero rate the project for VAT, it was agreed in discussion with Hugh Fraser (former Director of ECS) that it would be proposed that the Council cover the VAT element.

Highland Council then agreed that there were other possible sources of Capital Funding within the council and following this the business plan was submitted in early February with a view to being included on the agenda for the full council meeting on the 12th of March.