Decision details

To consider approving the establishment of a pay-to-use leisure facility, or ‘Adventure Zone’ in Mote Park comprising:  adults’ and children’s internally belayed high-course; Segway hire; adventure golf course; and climbing walls.  To receive a further report on the provision of a café at Mote Park.

(1)  That the creation of a pay-to-use leisure facility in Mote Park be approved.  This will include an internal belayed high course, internal belayed high course for children, climbing wall, adventure gold course and Segway hire facility;

(2)  That a capital budget of £790,000 be approved to deliver the project and that authority to spend the project budget is delegated to the Head of Commercial and Economic Development, in consultation with the Cabinet Members for Community and Leisure Services and Corporate Services, including the purchase and installation of the necessary equipment for the Adventure Zone;

(3)  That delegated authority be given to the Head of Commercial and Economic Development to obtain the necessary approval and consents for the Adventure Zone;

(4)  That delegated authority be given to the Head of Commercial and Economic Development to finalise and implement an operating model for the Adventure Zone in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community and Leisure Services;

(5)  That Officers report back detailing proposals for the provision of a café and toilets in Mote Park; and

(6)  That Officers report back on detailed proposals for the provision of an ice rink to form part of the Council’s Festivals and Events Strategy.

(1)  In June 2013 Cabinet approved the formation of Maidstone Culture and Leisure and delegated authority to the Director of Communities and Regeneration to develop proposals to create an Adventure Zone in Mote Park.  The report of the Head of Commercial and Economic Development set out the proposals relating to the establishment of the Adventure Zone and the work undertaken to date.

(2)  In June 2013 Cabinet made the following decision:

  3. That the principle of reducing the net cost of cultural and leisure services to the Council be agreed and delegated authority be given to the Director of Regeneration and Communities to progress the projects identified in paragraphs 1.3.7– 1.3.9 of the report of the Director of Regeneration and Communities and, in particular, agree:-

  (iv) The principle of a Mote Park adventure zone, subject to the necessary approvals and consents being achieved.

  (v)The possible provision of a new café and retail outlet for Mote Park to be considered as part of the Council’s capital programme.

(3)  In order to ensure the robustness of the Mote Park Adventure Zone proposals a significant amount of work has been undertaken including market research, residents’ and user surveys and a detailed financial appraisals.

Market research

The first piece of research was focused on identifying a configuration of activities that would be suitable for Mote Park; and identifying the costs and revenue potential applicable to that model.  This included liaison with other authorities and also Serco, the managing agent of the council’s leisure centre who operate several similar facilities.  Various options were identified and visited by the Parks and Leisure Manager.  The recommended configuration would be based on the Adventure Zone owned by the National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.  This was due to:

·  The internal belay design has a superior safety record when compared to traditional high ropes courses.

·  The footprint is relatively small, which will minimise the ecological; heritage; and spatial impact on Mote Park.

·  The configuration allows a greater flow of customers per hour than traditional designs, providing greater revenue potential and lower overhead ratio.

  The Adventure Zone at the National Watersports Centre is operated by Serco and they have been helpful in providing operational and commercial data.  This information formed the first basis of the financial projections as detailed in the exempt appendix to the report of the Head of Commercial and Economic Development.

The second piece of research focused on understanding the wants and needs of the users of Mote Park, and the borough’s residents.  In particular they measured the appetite of the public to use the proposed activities. Lake Market Research was commissioned to undertake a face-to-face survey of users of Mote Park; a postal survey of a representative demographic sample of residents; and to publicly advertise an online survey.  A total of 1,133 survey responses were completed and analysed. The full results are available in a consultation  report, but the most pertinent data for defining a potential market can be summarised, as follows:

  The average of those very or fairly likely to use the various activities (51%) was applied to the known number of visits which took place in Mote Park last year (1.1m).  It was  estimated that the maximum annual market would be 561,000 customer uses.  For financial forecasting it was assumed that the Adventure Zone will service ten percent of that number (56,100) with a phased increase to that figure over 3 years.  This was in line with the National Watersports offering which serviced 41,000 customers in its first year of operation.  This data formed the second basis for the financial projection in the exempt appendix to this report.

The last piece of research concerned pricing and competition.  The location of the nearest potential direct competitors, and their pricing was identified; the results were as follows:

  The final pricing schedule would be determined in due course during the selection of the commercial model.  This research shows that the prices currently charged at the National Watersports Centre would be the cheapest amongst the likely competitors.  When weighed with the fact that the proposed Adventure Zone would already enjoy an existing passing footfall of 561,000 potential customers, it is considered that the National Watersports Centre prices would be achievable.  They are:

  This group of data formed the final basis for the financial projections in the exempt appendix to the report.

   Adventure Zone Proposals

The Adventure Zone would consist of adults’ and children’s internally belayed high courses; climbing walls; Segway hire; and crazy golf.  Decisions on the exact layout and final siting will be taken following: a heritage impact analysis; ecological impact analysis; pre-planning advice; and commercial and operational modelling.  These pieces of work would form the first phase of the project.

The activities will be co-located to facilitate a more efficient operation and it was intended that the Adventure Zone will be co-located with the proposed café and retail outlet, should it subsequently be approved. Members noted that a report on the proposals for the café will be presented to them in March.

The total area required for the Adventure Zone and café combined will be no larger than 1.76 acres. This represents 0.38% of the total area of Mote Park.

The planned date for the Adventure Zone to be operational is July 2016.

Establishing an Adventure Zone at Mote Park supports the council’s commercialisation strategy and medium term financial strategy by generating income to support the continued delivery of services. It would also enable investment in facilities such as the toilets and the café at the park, which were highlighted in the recent Mote Park user surveys conducted by Lake Market Research.

The Adventure Zone would improve the leisure and recreation offering within the borough and be a boost to the visitor economy and promote Mote Park as a visitor destination. The Adventure Zone would promote physical wellbeing by encouraging physical activity in adults and children.

The council could chose not to approve the recommendations in this report but that would be contrary to the June 2013 Cabinet decision and would mean that none of the benefits set out in 1.5.5 and 1.5.6 of the report would be realised.  This would have particular implications for the Medium Term Financial Strategy and the Commercialisation Strategy as alternative income generation would have to be identified.