Plans for a new leisure centre and theatre in East Renfrewshire have been thrown into doubt after it emerged the cost had soared to £67million.

Rising inflation and volatile interest rates are behind the increase, pushing the potential cost of replacing Eastwood Leisure Centre up from the £55m previously agreed by councillors.

Proposals which include a 50m pool, 20m training pool, family fun pool, six-court games hall and a gym were approved in January.

A theatre, with up to 350 seats, and a library are also part of the project.

But there have repeatedly been questions over the cost of the development after £26m was initially allocated.

Now a report by council officials has revealed that contractors BAM Construction Ltd advised the cost had increased to £74m, mainly due to “the high level of inflation being experienced across the construction sector.”

This figure has since been reduced to £67m but council officials are carrying out further analysis on the impact of interest rates and energy prices, with councillors to receive an update in “the near future.”

Before that analysis began, officials had intended to give councillors five options – proceed with the £67m project; agree to a lower cost and reduce the scope of the development; refurbish the existing facility; start afresh and design a smaller leisure centre without a theatre; or do nothing.

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Council leader Owen O’Donnell told a full council meeting “an extensive review" into the project has been held in recent months.

The Labour member said: “At this stage we are recommending that we need more information, principally around the impact of interest rates on the affordability of this project in terms of the impact on capital and revenue budgets, and that will come back to the council at a future meeting when that data is prepared and ready.”

Councillor Gordon Wallace, of the Conservatives, said the existing leisure centre has been “very poorly neglected" over the past decade.

He added that, while there is “no question” the community needs a new leisure hub, he is “delighted to see we’ve just put a bit of a pause on this just now.”

Councillor Andrew Morrison, also of the Conservatives, asked whether there had been any “consideration of involving the private sector in this development,” such as sponsorship of the theatre.

He added: “That could substantially reduce the cost here and free up council resources for other purposes which would also have merit in other parts of East Renfrewshire.”

In response, Councillor O’Donnell said: “We are not privatising the leisure centre, if that’s what anyone is thinking about, but we will look for sponsorship opportunities or commercial opportunities, as you would expect for a facility of this size.”