Consultants appointed to overhaul Leisureland finances

Consultants have been appointed to carry out a feasibility study on the Leisureland facility, focusing especially on the under-usage of both the hall and the greenfield site adjacent to the complex.

The consultants – who won’t be named until a standard ‘cooling-off’ legal requirement period has expired – are expected to have their report completed by this autumn.

Greater year-round utilisation of the greenfield site and the Leisureland Hall have been prioritised as key areas where income streams could be increased for the complex.

At present, the greenfield site is normally only used during the summer holiday period when it is tendered out to amusement operators – it has also been used as a location for the Christmas ice rink attraction.

Chairman of the Leisureland Board, Cllr. Donal Lyons told the Galway City Tribune that the aim of the Board was to reach a break-even financial situation with the facility over the next three years.

“We expect that this feasibility study will chart the way forward for the facility. We believe that there is a lot of potential there for increasing income streams at Leisureland over the coming years,” said Cllr. Lyons.

The Leisureland facility has been subsidised over recent years by the City Council who at one point had to pump in €680,000 to balance the books. This year, that figure has been reduced to €300,000.

Leisureland underwent a real crisis in early 2014 when extensive flood damage forced a lengthy closure of the complex.

The repairs and refurbishment work took almost a year to complete at a cost of €4 million paid for by the insurance cover on the premises – the pool and gym are now considered to be ‘state-of-the-art’ facilities.

According to Cllr. Lyons, the consultants appointed have a particular expertise in maximising usage of such a leisure facility and he looked forward to their recommendations.

“Leisureland is a truly wonderful facility and site, right in the heart of Salthill. We have the aim of increasing usage on the complex and the adjoining site, consequently increasing overall revenue,” said Cllr. Lyons.