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27
Dec 2022
No.5: Concerns remain over spiralling costs of Ripon leisure scheme
In this article, which is part of a series on the 12 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2022, we look at the ongoing saga over Ripon leisure centre, its delays and increasing costs.
The end is in sight for Harrogate Borough Council — but will decisions it made about building a new Ripon swimming pool and refurbishing the existing leisure centre at Dallamires Lane come back to haunt council tax payers after the authority's abolition in April?
Money already spent on the project stands at £14.5 million and still to be added is £3.5 million for extra ground stabilisation on site and a further £300,000 for a temporary gym due to open in the New Year.
The contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon in November 2019 was for delivery of the new pool and refurbished centre in May 2021 at a cost of £10.2 million. But the need for ground stabilisation works ahead of the pool's construction added to the cost and caused delays.
The subsequent discovery in September 2020 of a 'void' close to the leisure centre entrance led to an investigation by engineering consultancy Stantec which identified ground stability issues under the leisure centre and a requirement for extensive remediation works to keep the building in use.
Opening of the temporary gym will enable the 27-year-old centre building to be vacated while work is carried out to shore up its foundations, but HBC has indicated that the need for more funding may be identified when this is underway.
The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, including a newly-constructed six lane swimming pool, opened in March - more than nine months behind the original schedule
A report to a meeting of council's cabinet in August said the authority had made “every effort to provide an accurate estimate” of the costs of the remediation works but added these could rise further once the ground stability works begin.
Concerns raised by Ripon City Council
Ripon City Council raised concerns about the costs for the additional ground stabilisation and called for an end to the spending on the multi-million pound project and for HBC to fully investigate other options, including building a new leisure centre at a different location where ground conditions are stable.
At its full meeting in October, Independent city council leader Andrew Williams, said the works would take the total spending on the project at Dallamires Lane to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget.
He added:
Response from Harrogate Borough Council
The call to search for an alternative location for the centre has been rejected by the borough council. A spokesperson for the council, said:
The spokesperson added:
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