Council will have to splash out almost a million pounds on maintenance work at the Waterfront Leisure Centre

A report prepared by Municipal Buildings bosses says almost £500,000 is needed to replace the ageing boiler at the complex.

Meanwhile the moveable floor of the swimming pool has reached the end of its life and will cost over £200,000 to replace.

Other areas at the building require attention too, with more money to be forked out on a fire alert and panic alarm system.

The boiler bill is so big that it cannot be paid for from current funds, meaning the local authority will have to dip into an allocation which was set aside for future investment.

A report prepared by finance boss Alan Puckrin and senior director Scott Allan says survey work has been completed to identify the extent of the works required to keep the busy facility functioning.

It says: "The consultant engineer has estimated the [boiler replacement] works at £460k which exceeds the current funding allocation.

"Given the high priority nature of the works it is intended to allocate a further £230k from future years Core Property General Provision.

"This includes the necessary temporary boiler plant to ensure business continuity for the duration of the project works.

"This also addresses the requirement for building energy management upgrade."

Inverclyde Leisure - who run the council-owned complex - have meanwhile received a full inspection report on the hydraulic 'floating floor' of the training pool, which allows the depth to be altered.

Installed shortly after the initial opening of the facility, it is no longer fully operational and is described as 'beyond economical repair'.

The council report says: "The estimated cost of the replacement is £210k excluding associated electrical work, direct costs and professional fees.

"Should a replacement floating floor be approved to provide the same functionality, it will be necessary to take forward more detailed feasibility work to establish what technical solutions are available and the implications for Inverclyde Leisure operations during replacement.

The council says that it is working with specialist mechanical and electrical consultants and plans to carry out projects on a phased basis.

Councillors will consider the Waterfront works at a meeting next week.