Purpose

To seek approval from the Leader of the
Council to commence a public and stakeholder consultation programme
for the development of a new Carlton Leisure, and Community
Wellbeing Centre.

Decision

The Leader is recommended to:
Approve the commencement of a consultation programme for the
development of a new Carlton Leisure and Community Wellbeing Centre
as detailed within the report.

Reasons for the decision

The recommendations are necessary to ensure
Gedling Borough Council can move forward with a comprehensive and
inclusive consultation process that will directly inform the future
of the Carlton Leisure and Community Wellbeing Centre.

The consultation will:

• Enable evidence-based decisions about the design, facility
mix, and accessibility of the new Carlton Leisure and Community
Wellbeing Centre.
• Ensure community and stakeholder voices are captured early
in the process, in line with best practice for public
engagement.
• Support transparency, trust and co-ownership by providing
residents, staff, and partners with meaningful opportunities to
shape local services.
• Strengthen the business case and design brief for the
Carlton Leisure, Wellbeing & Community Centre by aligning it
with local demand, financial sustainability, and wellbeing
outcomes.
• Mitigate risks associated with change by proactively
identifying concerns and providing clear channels for feedback and
communication.
• Endorsing and commencing the consultation now will ensure
that the programme remains on track to deliver key RIBA Stage 2
outputs, investment decisions, and service transition planning
within the current strategic and financial timeline.

Alternative options considered

The council could progress to a design stage
without engaging in wider public consultation, however,
consultation is considered necessary at this stage to ensure
development of a site that as far as possible meets the needs and
requirements of the community.