WEST Devon Borough councillors have agreed to spend £75,000 to take the Okehampton Sports Centre Project forward but have been told the scheme could still fail.
Members of the council's strategic development committee voted to allow the release of part of the authority's contribution of £410,000 so it can proceed to Lottery Board Stage II approval.
The Lottery Board approved the borough council's £2.3-million funding bid 'in principle' in May but the money is subject to agreement of the final details.
The long-awaited scheme for Simmons Park, which was the subject of a failed lottery bid in 1999, includes a swimming pool, sports hall, fitness centre, dance studio and refreshment area.
Deputy chief executive of the borough council David Inman said there was every likelihood of the bid being successful this time, but there was no absolute guarantee.
The new lottery procedures required considerable design work to be undertaken before final confirmation of the bid.
'Phase I anchors a project and should establish approval through the subsequent Phase II,' he said.
The money being contributed by the council is from the Waitrose receipt and not coming out of taxpayers' pockets. Committee members were told £12,000 had been spent so far in working up the bid but that was over a four-year period.
Cllr Nick Waterhouse, who earlier in the meeting had reservations about council money being spent on a proposed all-weather pitch for Tavistock, said he had long believed this project was a noose around the council's neck and now it was being tightened a bit more.
'But I suppose if you assist one you have to assist another all singing, all dancing project,' he said.
Cllr Jayne Hill said members had no choice but to release the funds: 'This is money is not coming from irate taxpayers — it is Waitrose money and the cherry on the cake for Okehampton,' she said.