PLANS for a second all-weather sports pitch at Maybole’s new community campus could be axed due to rising costs, a report has revealed.

Officials from South Ayrshire Council say that an original allowance of £2.42 million to provide a second full-size rugby and football pitch at the site now won’t be enough because of inflation and “engineering requirements” – and that an extra £1.4m will be needed if the project is to go ahead as originally planned.

One full-size all-weather pitch at the campus, on the site of the existing Carrick Academy, is already complete and in use by the school and the wider community.

But the local authority’s cabinet will be asked to consider four options for the second pitch – including making it smaller or removing it from the project altogether.

The purchase of land for the second pitch was completed in May 2022 after nine months of talks with the land's previous owner.

A report prepared for a meeting of the council’s cabinet on February 15 states: “The contractor has now concluded initial design work for the second pitch and has reported that the cost for the original proposal will exceed the allowance of £2,420,445 due primarily to inflation and to engineering requirements relating to cut and fill, retaining structures and ground stabilisation.

“The level of inflation was not anticipated at the time of the initial cost estimate and the engineering requirements could not be established before the soil investigation was carried out.

“Access to carry out the soil investigation was not permitted by the landowner prior to purchase so the soil investigation was carried out immediately after the land had been purchased.”

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The four options for the second pitch listed in the report are as follows.

1. Proceed with current design – for a 120m x 74m all-weather pitch suitable for rugby and football, with fencing and floodlighting and “substantial retaining strictures”, matching the pitch already in use at the site (additional funding required of £1,427,084)

2. Do not progress with a second pitch - and instead carry out landscaping work to make the site available for play space or external learning (no additional funds required)

3. Football pitch only – measuring 106m x 66m, marked as a full size football pitch and for three seven-a-side football pitches but unsuitable for rugby matches, with no retaining structures (£734,623 additional funding required)

4, Reduced size rugby and football pitch – measuring 114m x 68m and suitable for competitive football and school-level rugby matches, with some retaining structure (£1,032,062 additional funds required).

The report says that discussions have taken place with Carrick Academy, council officials and elected members, with feedback suggesting that the fourth option “would be an acceptable compromise”.

The document also warns that although scrapping plans for a second pitch is the cheapest option, it would mean a breach of one of the project’s planning conditions and could spark an objection from SportScotland – and lead to the planning application being called in by Scottish ministers.

The campus buildings, incorporating a new Carrick Academy, St Cuthbert’s Primary and an amalgamation of the existing Cairn and Gardenrose primary schools, as well as a new swimming pool and rooftop playground, are due to be ready for use by August.

The £59m campus is being built by Hub South West and Morgan Sindall.