Opening date of new road at Kex Gill revealedHarrogate family firm sold to international company

A family firm formed in Harrogate 20 years ago, which now employs 45 staff, has been sold to a large international company.

Keith Swales founded civil engineering business S&B Utilities in 2002. Based at Kestia House in Lingerfield, near Scotton.

The firm has been acquired by Hargreaves Industrial Services, which is a subsidiary of international land, property and infrastructure development company Hargreaves Services.

The sum has not been disclosed.

Managing director Mr Swales, who is 77, and finance director Karen Cocker will exit the business. All other staff will be retained.

Kestia House Lingerfield

Kestia House

S&B Utilities, which constructs water projects and other civil engineering schemes, is a framework contractor with Yorkshire Water and Severn Trent Water. It also works on military bases.

Locally, its projects have included undertaking structural concrete work for the Esplanade tower block in Harrogate and for the Tower Street car park.

Mr Swales, a civil engineer who worked for Yorkshire Water before setting up the company, said negotiations had taken eight months to complete. He added:

“We’ve been a family orientated business from day one and we believe the move to Hargreaves will enhance that.”

He thanked past and present employees for their help over the last 20 years.

Darren Swales, Will Griffin and Lee Swales will continue as directors of S&B Utilities and will be joined on the board by Sean Hager and John Samuel, who are directors of Hargreaves Industrial Services.

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Ripon Leisure Centre history – grounds for concern

This timeline sets out the key events from before plans for Ripon’s new swimming pool and leisure centre refurbishment were approved, to the present day.

Concerns about ground stability on the Camp Close site were highlighted before Harrogate Borough Council’s planning committee approved the council’s own planning application on 25 June 2019.

 

Final cost for Ripon leisure scheme remains ‘unknown’

The final cost of Harrogate Borough Council’s delayed multi-million pound leisure centre project in Ripon remains unknown.

In December, following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by the Stray Ferret, the council said that the information was ‘confidential’

It did, however, confirm that:

“Additional ‘site preliminaries’ will be payable to the main contractor as a result of the extension of the construction contract.”

Photo of sign at Ripon Swimming Pool

Last week, senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet approved additional spending on the scheme estimated to cost £110,000.

This is required to investigate a ‘void in the ground’ and is necessary in order to retain the council’s business insurance on the building.

The ‘void’ was discovered last year near the entrance to the leisure centre.

The centre is being refurbished and will be attached to the new six-lane pool.

Responding to a second FOI request in March, the council said:

“The information you request is not held by Harrogate Borough Council because the final costs are not yet known.”

Now, after conducting an internal review of the FOI responses, Joanne Barclay the council’s acting chief solicitor (corporate services) said:

“I have reviewed this matter and I consider that the council met its obligation under regulation 5(1) at the time of its response to you and confirmed that the information you requested was not held.

“The Council provided a reason for this by confirming that the final costs were not yet known.”

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Discovery of the ‘void’ follows a separate incident in February 2018, when a sinkhole opened up on the leisure centre car park.

At a June 2019 planning meeting, three members of the eight-member committee abstained rather than support the project, after ‘deep concerns’ were expressed about the sinkhole risk in an area of Ripon known for widespread gypsum deposits.

In November of that year, construction company Willmott Dixon, was awarded a £10.2 million contract for delivery of the swimming pool/leisure centre scheme.

The 17-month contract had a completion date of 21 May 2021.

Last November, Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.

In a press release dated November 13, he added:

“Ground work, known as grouting, is nearing completion.”

Grouting is a method used to stabilise unstable ground.

In our FOI requests, we enquired about the additional costs involved in extension of the contract with Willmott Dixon.

We also asked what proportion of additional cost has arisen through the need for extra ground remediation works.

To date, the council has been unable to answer either of these questions

In its response to our first FOI request, it stated:

“A public authority may refuse to disclose information to the extent that its disclosure would adversely affect the confidentiality of commercial or industrial information where such confidentiality is provided by law to protect a legitimate economic interest.”

Council to press ahead with Ripon Leisure Centre ‘hole’ investigation

Harrogate Borough Council will press ahead with an investigation into a hole in the ground found next to Ripon Leisure Centre following assurances from senior officers over the work.

Senior councillors on the authority’s cabinet approved the measures at a meeting earlier this week, which is estimated to cost £110,000.

In a report before councillors, the authority said it was required to investigate the “void in the ground” in order to retain its business insurance on the building.

The city has a history of sinkholes caused by the soluble of nature gypsum, the rock that lies under much of the area.

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The hole was discovered next to the entrance of the existing leisure centre last year and has been filled with crushed gravel as a short-term solution.

Michael Constantine, head of operations at the council, told the cabinet meeting that he could reassure them that the council had employed expertise to handle the investigation.

He said:

“I’m very content to be able to give cabinet, council and any interested residents my assurance that as a project team we are employing sufficient qualified and experience geologists and technical engineers.

“The ground investigations works is proposed to take place and be delivered by the company who have undertaken the main series of investigations and reinforcement works for the main new pool facility.

“They have a very detailed knowledge of the site and they are pretty much the UK industry experts in stabilisation.”

Consultant engineers have told the council that further investigation will be required and remedial work if necessary.

In order to carry out the work, the council will have to self-insure as it says it will not be covered by any third-party insurance

The current insured value of the centre is £3,796,135 plus 10% contents, which the authority says would be lost should any damage be caused as a result of the work.

But, council officers have said this would be a “worst case scenario” and is considered to be an “unlikely event”.

Concerns over Ripon Pool void

Before the meeting on Wednesday, Dr Alan Thompson, is a chartered geologist and a director of Cuesta Consulting Limited, emailed members of the cabinet.

He called on them to take concerns, raised by Ripon-based chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh, “very seriously”.

Mr Mackintosh has consistently raised concerns with HBC about the suitability of building a swimming pool on land with a history of ground instability issues.

However, his comments, made at the June 2019 planning meeting, where the £10 million plus pool scheme was approved, he feels were largely dismissed.

On Tuesday, Mr Mackintosh reiterated his concerns in an email sent to all cabinet members.

Both his and Dr Thompson’s emails, were sent prior to the HBC cabinet meeting, where senior councillors considered a report about a ‘hole’ discovered last year, next to the entrance of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre.

The refurbished leisure centre is physically attached to the new pool.

Ripon swimming pool opening sign

Ripon’s new swimming pool and refurbished leisure centre was originally due to open in Summer 2021, but signs there now say ‘Opening Autumn 2021.’

Dr Thompson, who is also the principal author of the definitive report into gypsum-related subsidence in the city, said in his email:

“Prior to your consideration of the proposals for further geological investigations and remediation in connection with the Leisure Centre and Swimming Pool, I am writing in support of the concerns expressed by Mr. Stanley Mackintosh.

“Mr. Mackintosh, amongst others, has kindly kept me informed of those developments and of his very serious concerns regarding the ongoing risk of subsidence, the inadequacy of recent ground investigations, and the prospects of instability being exacerbated by some of the techniques used.

“The purpose of this email is very simply to lend support to Mr. Mackintosh and to urge you to take his concerns very seriously.

In 1996, Dr Thompson and fellow experts produced a report, titled ‘Assessment of subsidence arising from gypsum dissolution with particular reference to Ripon, North Yorkshire’.

The report was commissioned by HBC and the former Department of the Environment, provided the basis for the land instability policies which the council has in place.