It is now nine months since ground stabilisation work costing £3.5 million began at Ripon Leisure Centre, but North Yorkshire Council (NYC) remains unable to give an opening date for the refurbished building.
The original £10.2 million contract awarded in November 2019 by the now-defunct Harrogate Borough Council to construction company Willmott Dixon, was designed to give Ripon a new six-lane swimming pool attached to a fully revamped and equipped leisure centre building which opened in 1995.
Work began at the Camp Close site off Dallamires Lane in November 2019 and was scheduled to last 17 months.
Equipment used in ground stabilisation pictured at the site yesterday morning (Wednesday)
The total project also includes the provision of a new children’s playground and landscaping and restoration of playing fields that were donated in 1948 by Alderman Cyril Tetley Wade ‘for the benefit of the young people of the city.’
Rising costs
The running total for completion of the project has risen to £18 million and to date the pool at the Jack Laugher Leisure & Wellness Centre, which opened behind schedule in March 2022 and the playground that opened in February 2022, have been delivered.
A temporary gym has been in place on the car park in front of the Jack Laugher Leisure & Wellness Centre since last April. The children’s playground opened in February 2022
A year ago, a temporary gym costing £300,000 was installed on the centre car park and during the period that ground stabilisation works have remained ongoing, gym members have been attending spin classes at Hugh Ripley Hall.
During the four years since it was launched, the Stray Ferret has kept a close watch on the leisure scheme and has sought regular updates, initially from Harrogate Borough Council and from North Yorkshire Council since April 2023, when the unitary authority took over responsibility for the problematic project.
The questions we asked
On March 11 we asked the council the following six questions:
- What is holding up the work?
- Have additional issues arisen since NYC’s last update to the Stray Ferret in January
- Have additional costs been incurred (on top of the £3.5 million allocated for ground stabilisation?
- If yes, how much?
- Is there an opening date in prospect for the fully refurbished leisure centre building
- What progress has been made on the restoration of the children’s playing fields?
A reply received from a council spokesperson three days later said:
“We have nothing further to add to the last statement.”
In that statement, issued by the council on January 16, it said:
“The nature of the work is complex and is under constant review, dates will be announced to key partners when they are confirmed.
“Refurbishment work to the leisure centre began at the same time as the construction of the new swimming pool building, however it was paused when the extent of ground remediation work was identified. Refurbishment work will therefore be finished after completion of the ground stabilisation works.”
In October, the Stray Ferret reported that the leisure centre work had been temporarily paused after ground movement was detected in the 1995 building,
The North Yorkshire spokesperson said in the January statement that since October “no further issues have come to light”.
Working ‘within the confines of the existing budget’
On the question about potential additional costs for the delayed project, the NYC spokesperson stated:
“We continue to work within the confines of the existing budget.”
The Stray Ferret also asked about restoration of the children’s playing fields and football pitch, which have been no go areas for more than four years.
We were told:
“Seeding work will be carried out in advance of the opening date, but this will need to be given time to fully germinate and establish.”
Main image: As work continues on ground stabilisation, no opening date for the refurbished facility is available for North Yorkshire Council
Read more:
- £3.5 million remediation work underway at Ripon leisure centre
- Ripon leisure centre halts price increase due to ongoing work
- City councillors call for an end to spending on Ripon leisure centre
Ripon youth charities hindered by restricted access to skate and bike park
Two youth charities aiming to engage Ripon’s young people in positive activities believe they are being hindered by restricted access to recreational facilities.
Fencing installed at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has made the skate and bike park at Camp Close a no-go area for Inspire Youth’s support vehicle and the outreach sessions delivered from it.
The skate park adjacent to the leisure centre has, in previous years, provided a focal point for meeting with so-called ‘hard to reach’ children.
Jess Ward, founder and chief executive of Inspire Youth, told the Stray Ferret:
“Because we no longer have access to the site with our vehicle, we can’t hold our sessions there.
“That is a blow, because the kids see this as one of few places in Ripon where they can meet with us and talk about their issues, fears and concerns in a confidential way and one in which they will receive a sympathetic hearing.”
Jess Ward, CEO of Inspire Youth (right) is pictured at the Hell Wath football coaching session with Chloe Hickson of Harrogate Town FC (centre) and, from the left, Inspire’s Jodie Edwards, Marie Anderson and Lizzy Wickens
Ms Ward added:
“We are engaging with and supporting young people, some of whom feel they have been marginalised and unfairly blamed for the city’s problems of anti-social behaviour.
“It’s very much a case of giving a dog a bad name, but we are determined that we will not turn our backs on children who need help and encouragement, instead of constant criticism.
“They are our future and need to know that they are members of the community with a valuable contribution to make.”
Jayne Shackleton, Ripon YMCA’s community and development manager, said that young people had told the charity that they miss Inspire Youth’s outreach sessions and want to see them back at the skate park.
She added:
“We will continue to monitor the area and consult with young people and work alongside partners in the hope that the skate park will become and remain a safe, accessible space for young people and meet their needs”.
The original £10.2 million contract for the leisure scheme was to provide a new six-lane swimming pool, a fully refurbished leisure centre, children’s playground, a car park with charging points, in addition to restoration of the football pitch and landscaping of the site.
No ball games this summer at the Camp Close site
More than 14 months after the scheme was initially scheduled for completion, the project is almost £5 million over budget and further, as yet, undisclosed monies are to be committed by Harrogate Borough Council for ground stabilisation work under the leisure centre and provision of a temporary gym on site, while that work is carried out.
In the meantime, the playing fields donated in perpetuity by Alderman Wade for ‘the benefit of the children of Ripon’ will remain fenced off.
Last week, however, with the support of Ripon Panthers Junior Football Club and Harrogate Town FC coach Chloe Hickson, Inspire Youth organised coaching sessions at Hell Wath and other locations are being sought.
What did the council have to say?
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said that Inspire Youth and the YMCA have not been denied access to the site.
They added:
“The skate park and basketball court are available for everyone to use and can be accessed via Knaresborough Road.
“Our community safety team work proactively with partners in Ripon around engagement with young people. And we encourage both of these organisations to continue do their outreach work in the area.”
In response to the Stray Ferret’s question about when children will be able to play football once more at Camp Close, the spokesperson, said:
“The football pitches will remain fenced off, while we carry out ground stabilisation works at the original Ripon Leisure Centre, to ensure people are kept safe while construction vehicles are moving round the site. This will be restored towards the end of the project.”
The council spokesperson, added:
“The plaque to recognise Alderman Wade will also be reinstated on completion of this multi-million pound investment for the people of Ripon.”
Read more:
- Ripon’s children pay the price for ‘incompetent handling’
- Plan to open temporary gym at Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre
- Ripon leisure scheme, overdue and over budget