Highland Council urge Tain community to have say as future of TRACC — and town’s only swimming pool — hangs in the balance
Residents in Tain are being encouraged to take part in a major consultation that could determine the future of the town’s only swimming pool, as Highland Council launches a 12-week engagement over the future of the ageing Tain Royal Academy Community Complex (TRACC).
As reported by the Ross-shire Journal last week, five options have been put forward for public consideration — ranging from a low-cost holding plan to full demolition — and several would result in the permanent closure of the swimming pool and fitness suite currently based at TRACC.
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The facility, which has served the community for over 50 years, is said to be nearing the end of its natural lifespan, with substantial investment required to keep it operational.
It is not yet clear whether any of the proposed options will receive capital funding, as the council has confirmed that no money is currently allocated in its budget.
One of the most costly but potentially popular proposals — Option 3 — would see a brand new pool and fitness suite constructed at the nearby Tain Campus site.
However, this would take between two and three years to complete, and comes at a projected cost of around £11 million.
The plan includes temporary retention of TRACC with minimal upgrades during the design and construction period, but would still involve a year-long closure for works and eventual demolition.
A similar plan, Option 4, would also deliver a new facility at the campus site, though with only limited holding works to the existing TRACC building in the meantime at a cost of £15 million.
Both would ultimately see the TRACC complex demolished.
By contrast, Option 2 — with an estimated price tag of £9 million — proposes a full refurbishment of TRACC to extend its usable life.
This would require up to 18 months of closure and could include mothballing some of the indoor dry-side facilities, as new games halls will already be in place at the £74 million Tain Campus development, which is due to open later this year.
Option 1, the cheapest of the proposals, at around £4 million over five years, would retain TRACC as a standalone building, also with plans to potentially remove dry-side facilities and only essential works to keep it functioning.
The pool could remain open under this option, but officials warn that the lifespan of the facility would not be significantly extended and future closures due to major failures could not be ruled out.
The final option on the table — Option 5 — involves the full closure and demolition of TRACC once the new campus opens.
This would leave Tain without a public pool / fitness suite altogether.
The council says alternative arrangements could be considered, such as using pools in neighbouring areas, though no specific measures have been detailed.
The public consultation, launched this week, will run until August 1.
A short survey is now live on the Highland Council’s website and a series of public engagement events are expected to be announced soon.
A spokesperson for Highland Council said: “An assessment has been made of potential options for the future of the TRACC building and five options are proposed for the local community to consider.
“A short survey has gone live today, and a series of engagement events are planned, to enable the views of the local community to be captured.
“Members of the Tain community are encouraged to participate in the consultation process to ensure the views of the local community are understood which will assist in assessing the potential impact of each proposed option and support the decision making process for the future of TRACC.
“Currently there is no funding allocated in the Council’s capital programme for any of the five options contained within the survey.”
The survey and full option breakdown can be viewed at: www.highland.gov.uk/tracc.
