PLANS to replace Alloa Leisure Bowl with a new "wellbeing campus" will kickstart this week with the launch of public consultation.

Last Wednesday's (March 24) special council meeting heard an update on leisure provision in Clackmannanshire with ambitions laid out for the brand new facility in Alloa.

In the budget approved on the same day, £16.8million of capital funding was allocated to progress plans for the complex, which will look to cater for a wide variety of needs.

A council officer told the chamber on the day that a "significant engagement exercise" has been devised with the help of sportscotland on the current and future leisure and wellbeing provision in Clacks.

The officer said: "This will include a substantial online survey and direct engagement with clubs, governing bodies, partners, major institutions, equalities groups and other stakeholders.

"This work is moving at pace, at this stage we plan to launch...if possible by March 31, with a fair wind."

The next months are to see direct engagement meetings, including with the NHS and other partners in health and social care to explore possibilities for rehabilitation and therapies.

The council officer added: "I should say there is tremendous enthusiasm from a range of partners and stakeholders on the ambition and inclusiveness of this project and particularly on the focus it has on wellbeing, health and economic and community learning and development."

Responding to a question from Cllr Dave Clark, who pointed to CentreStage in Kilmarnock as an example, a council officer said: "One of the areas I'm exploring, and that's why I was keen to speak to NHS and health and social care colleagues, is not so much about the design of a facility, but how a new facility could enable service redesign and actually, how we could do things differently."

The focus will be on creating a complex with flexible spaces and functions.

The officer added: "In terms of the service design there are real opportunities in here, particularly around areas for women and girls, there's some really interesting stuff coming out of sportscotland on that and also around how we support things like mental health and wellbeing."

According to a timeline presented on the day, interim arrangements are also to be put in place in some form with a decision to be made sometime between May and September this year.

Detailed designs, costs and more for the wellbeing complex will take around a year to complete.

Cllr Graham Lindsay, who is also partnership manager at sportscotland, said: "It's great to hear the excitement that's starting to build around this particular project and we are starting to move away from politics around the dated facility that was no longer fit for purpose [Alloa Leisure Bowl], it's pleasing to see that.

"It's also pleasing to note the progress that has come forward as promised from the last meeting and to look at the speed at which the actions set out are accelerating."