The cost of maintaining East Ayrshire’s artificial pitches is to double over the next 12 months.
East Ayrshire Council have estimated that renewal costs for 10 pitches will reach £1.8m over the next decade.
Andrew Kennedy, the council’s head of facilities, told councillors that the local authority had spent £50k maintaining its synthetic pitches last year, but expect to see it increase to £100k or more next year.
The pitch at Auchinleck Academy is the first to be earmarked for renewal, at a cost of £190k for pitch maintenance and a further £30k for lighting.
It will be followed by Loudoun Academy, Dalmellington and Stewarton, all of which are estimated to cost the same as Auchinleck.
In his report to cabinet, Mr Kennedy said: “The introduction and growth of synthetic pitches across the authority has placed a new and increasing strain on both the central repairs account and the component renewal budget.
“When installed these facilities require regular maintenance that is expected to increase from the £50,000 spend this financial year to over £100,000 next year.”
He told the cabinet that this was primarily as a result of infill material potentially increasing in price from £206 per tonne in the current contract to between £440 and £675 per tonne in the future.
The replacement schedule was calculated using manufacturer’s guidelines and would be funded from the council’s repairs and renewal fund in order to “address the long term demand and to smooth out the annual costs over
the next 10 years.”
Asked to elaborate on the issue of synthetic pitches, Mr Kennedy said it was “reflective of the position we have with all of our assets”.
He explained that the initial capital outlay made up around half of the “whole life” costs of a property.
Maintenance, insurance and other recurring costs were just as important, he said, as they account for the other half.
He continued: “Pitches are a wee bit more challenging as their life is not as long as the rest of the assets we look to invest in.
“Unlike other fixed property assets, these facilities, in relation to the playing surface and lighting have a short life span of 10 to 15 years depending on usage and maintenance levels.”
Councillor Clair Maitland pointed out that there was a new generation of synthetic surfaces in the pipeline, but admitted it was a case of “wait and see”.
The cabinet agreed to utilise its repair and renewal budget to cover the future costs of synthetic pitch replacement.
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