Holme Pierrepont National Sports Centre (HPP) is presently managed by Leisure Connection on behalf of Sport England. Site owner, Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) has leased it to Sport England for the last 34 years to operate its national water sports centre. This lease expires at the end of its 35th year (31 March 2009) and Sport England has given notice of its intention not to extend the agreement beyond this date. As a result, NCC is seeking to develop a realistic solution for the future of the centre.

In 2008, The County Council which is presently concluding its negotiations with Sport England with regard to the transfer back of the site, commissioned KKP to combine a due diligence evaluation of its plans for the site and an options appraisal on the future management of the centre. At present it comprises a 2000m regatta lake, 700m slalom course, 270 acre country park, white water rafting, canoeing, kayaking and full conference facilities. We were also asked to evaluate the council's plans for a range of other proposed developments.

A key focus was to assess whether creation of a new trust to manage HPP would provide significant financial benefit in the context of site development and operation and/or might restrict the vision and its development. We also assessed financial and market predictions in relation to the development of a camping and caravan park.

To inform future decisions the County Council may need to make, the report highlighted:

• The types of trust structures available and their respective advantages and disadvantages.
• The financial benefits that a trust can achieve.
• The potential company structure(s) that may need to be employed as a result of the various development proposals for the site.
• The potential pitfalls to overcome with respect to the future financial investment in the site.

(Image: Image courtesy of Holme Pierrepont)The overall concluding recommendation was that it would be more cost effective to manage the services at HPP as a trust. However, the report also highlighted the fact that a number of key issues linked to financial planning, staffing and relationships with partners must be resolved prior to a final decision being made.

Ian Bebbington, Holme Pierrepont Project Manager said,

"We were looking for a ‘no holds barred' review of our business plan and financial projections and a careful assessment of our future management options to satisfy the level of scrutiny that development of such a high profile site will entail. KKP's report has done this and provided the County with a clear understanding of the best way to move forward."

For an independent view on this case study, please contact Ian Bebbington, Holme Pierrepont Project Manager, Nottinghamshire County Council (ian.bebbington@nottscc.gov.uk).