PLANS for an interim swimming pool in Alloa could be shelved over a rise in projected costs.

As previously reported, proposals for a temporary swimming pool at the Marshill carpark moved into the design stage.

The move had been suggested as an interim arrangement ahead of the new wellbeing hub and swimming pool being built.

The plans were greenlighted by the planning department earlier in May; however, councillors will tomorrow be asked to agree to terminate the development over spiralling projected costs.

Documents to be tabled for the meeting show the most recent cost plan for the interim pool has risen to £3,482,230 from a previously reported £2.16million.

The fresh figure does not include any allowance for further market inflation and it is likely the final costs could be as high as £3.9m.

The projected operating costs also increased by around 50 per cent with ongoing uncertainties around the value of the pound and rising energy prices.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, deputy council leader Graham Lindsay told the Advertiser: "The interim pool provided us with a great opportunity to reduce our costs from what we previously had in place for the leisure bowl.

"Going right back to when I first sat down and looked at this option: we were sitting at just over £1m for an interim pool provision and about £500,000 a year revenue."

The projected capital costs later rose to more than £2m, which was already a "stretch" for the budget but the importance of having a pool in place for swimming lessons still justified the higher costs at the time for the administration.

"But we knew that was pushing it in terms of finances," Cllr Lindsay continued.

"It's clear now, and it's not going to escape anybody particularly in Clackmannanshire, that the cost of living crisis has pushed everything to a point where capital expenditure and capital costs are significantly increasing."

The recommendation to terminate the development is over value for money and value for the taxpayer, he explained.

While councillors will be asked to abandon the plans, there is a commitment to ensuring swimming lessons return, said the deputy council leader.

Council papers said that planning is underway to reintroduce the P5 Learn to Swim programme.

Activities have been ongoing at Dollar Academy's pool with 70 children attending weekly along with water confidence sessions at Alloa Academy's hydro pool with more than 50 ASN children involved.

Cllr Lindsay added: "On top of that, we are still planning to re-introduce that P5 Learn to Swim programme and we are going to be bringing back further information on that, and where that will be operating out of."

He hopes to outline exact plans at the next council meeting.