New Ripon pool may not be ready to open in November

Ripon’s new multi-million pound leisure development may not be ready to open in November, as previously indicated.

The scheme, for which known costs were in excess of £10.2 million before a six-month delay was announced last year, was originally scheduled to open this summer.

Last autumn, a press release by Harrogate Borough Council said the development at Camp Close, off Dallamires Lane, would open in November.

But in an update issued by the council a spokesperson, said:

“We can confirm the new swimming pool in Ripon is due to open towards the end of the year.

“An official opening date will be confirmed in the coming weeks once the facility has been handed-over by Willmott Dixon, our appointed contractor carrying out the works.”

Ripon swimming pool opening sign

An ‘opening in summer 2021’ sign was later replaced by one saying ‘opening in autumn 2021’.

The statement, added:

“Following this handover, we will carry out the necessary staff training and rigorous testing to prepare the new facility for opening.

“The addition of the new swimming pool is a major development for Ripon and the surrounding area and we’re delighted to announce that it will be officially opened later this autumn.”

£10.2m contract

A £10.2 million contract was awarded to Willmott Dixon before work started on site in November 2019.

The 17-month contact was for delivery of a six-lane pool, along with refurbishment of the existing Ripon Leisure Centre.

This specified a completion date of 21 May this year, but this was later amended to November.

Councillor Stanley Lumley, the council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport said, at the time, that the project had been ‘slightly delayed’ by covid.

In the release dated 13 November, he added:

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

Ground stability issues

Cllr Lumley’s statement came two months after a ‘void’ was discovered near the entrance to the existing leisure centre building, which was constructed in the mid 1990s.

A previous sinkhole that opened up in February 2018 caused the closure of the leisure centre car park and despite concerns raised about the suitability of the Camp Close site for addition of a swimming pool, the scheme was granted approval at a council planning meeting in June 2019.

Following discovery of the second ‘void’  Stantec, an international engineering, design and consultancy practice, carried out an initial inspection and in a report, seen by the Stray Ferret, raised concerns about the load-bearing capacity of existing piles under the leisure centre, which would have been used to support the connection between it and the new pool.

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What will the final cost be?

The Stray Ferret has submitted two Freedom of Information requests to the council in an attempt to establish what additional costs have been incurred, on top of the original £10.2 million contract for the scheme.

In its response to the first request, the council said that the information it held was ‘confidential’. In its response to the second request, it said ‘the final costs are not yet known.’

Council’s new leisure company to focus on health and wellbeing

Harrogate Borough Council said the aim of its new leisure company will be to create more active, longer, and independent lives.

It has pledged that Brimhams Active, the new authority controlled company, will be more focussed on overall health and wellbeing.

Some 200 Harrogate Borough Council employees transferred over to Brimhams Active yesterday.  It’ll run 11 leisure venues, including The Hydro in Harrogate, Knaresborough Pool, Ripon Leisure Centre and Nidderdale Pool and is projected to save the council £400,000 a year.

Residents can use the new website to find out more about the services provided by Brimham’s Active as well booking sessions at leisure centres and facilities across the Harrogate district.

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Leisure facilities in the district are undergoing something of a transformation with not all of it going according to plan.  There’s to be a £26 million investment in the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre at Knaresborough, which is expected to be financed by borrowing from the government.  Ripon’s new £10.2 million pool and leisure centre is due to open in November. However the project has recently been the subject of serious safety concerns after a report into a hole in the ground which appeared on the site.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, said:

“The scale of the challenge set for us is more than matched by the scale of the opportunities we have in our grasp. Launching Brimhams Active with a new strategy and investment programme will allow us to transform a conventional leisure service into a leading community focussed health and wellbeing service.

“There is clear evidence that people need to be more active to combat rising obesity levels and prevent ill health due to poor lifestyle choice.

“Our vision and strategy has some clear and achievable objectives. We will help Harrogate district residents of all ages, from all walks of life, live a healthy lifestyle and stay active for longer. We know we can’t do this alone and nor should we. We will work with partner organisations and stakeholders to develop partnerships and facilities to provide a holistic approach to health and wellbeing.”

 

Lib Dem leader calls for Ripon Leisure Centre safety investigation

The leader of the  Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council has called for an independent investigation into the building of Ripon’s new swimming pool and existing leisure centre after a leading authority on ground stability in Ripon raised serious safety concerns.

Earlier this week the Stray Ferret revealed that geologist Dr Alan Thompson, an expert on the city’s long-standing gypsum and sink hole problems, had sent a strongly worded letter to councillors to highlight his concerns.

His letter referred to an inspection carried out by global consultancy firm Stantec into a “cavity” that appeared near the entrance to the existing leisure centre building in September 2020.

Dr Thompson wrote that he had to intervene as he feared Harrogate Borough Council  was not taking ground stability issues raised within the inspection seriously enough.

Read our exclusive report about Dr Thompson’s concerns and the Stantec report. 

Cllr Pat Marsh, who is the leader of the Liberal Democrats on Harrogate Borough Council, told the Stray Ferret:

“I am not a geologist or engineer but when I read that report I did see that there were some concerns about the leisure centre. I hope they are being addressed.

“That site has always been a concern. It was not easy reading. We need to do a thorough investigation because we are putting lives at risk if we don’t.

“I am now beginning to think fresh eyes would be good to make sure it is safe. We can’t just push this to one side, it is a serious issue.”

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Cllr Pauline McHardy, of Ripon Independents whose ward the leisure centre falls under, said she was “very concerned” by the report.

She said:

“I think its is very concerning, they [the council] are spending an awful lot of money on it.

“What also concerns me is that who is going to responsible for it if we go to a unitary authority?”

Cllr Stan Lumley, who is the conservative cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, told the Stray Ferret what he made of the report:

“It’s a tricky one really. Obviously we are absolutely committed to building the new pool and renovating the existing leisure centre.

“There is a history of ground conditions we were completely aware of. We had taken professional advice to mitigate as far as possible any problems on the site.

“We have invested a great deal of money to get the area safe and prepared for construction. We are now investigating and will address any issues that come up.”

On Tuesday Harrogate Borough Council responded Stray Ferret questions about Dr Thompson’s concerns by issuing a statement:

“Given the well-known ground conditions in Ripon, we employed qualified and experienced geologists and geo-technic engineers to carry out necessary investigation works and advice on what would be required to provide this much need facility.

“A total of 441 grouting sites received 3,043 tonnes of grout which, along with the casting of a reinforced concrete slab, provides the foundation for the new swimming pool building.

“The void which is underneath the existing leisure centre is understood to have been present a number of years. This was only discovered as a result of the work to prepare the new swimming pool site.

“It is now being investigated and should any remedial work be required then it will be carried out.

Serious safety concerns after Ripon Leisure Centre report

A leading authority on Ripon’s long-standing gypsum and sinkhole problems has raised serious safety concerns about the site of Ripon’s new swimming pool and existing leisure centre.

The Stray Ferret has obtained a copy of a letter sent by geologist Dr Alan Thompson to Harrogate borough councillors in which he states issues around the stability of the ground of the existing leisure centre haven’t been taken seriously enough.

Dr Thompson, a director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, was the principal author of a definitive document in 1996 on land in Ripon where there is a risk of ground instability, which subsequently provided the basis for Harrogate Borough Council’s planning policy.

His intervention follows an inspection carried out by global consultancy firm Stantec into a “cavity” that appeared near the entrance to the existing leisure centre building in September 2020.

In a strongly-worded letter he claims that the council has not followed its own protocols.

“My stark conclusion is that, if the lessons to be learned from the Stantec report are not heeded, the council could be walking blindly into a major problem – not least in terms of public finances and political consequences but also, potentially, in terms of future public safety.”

In May, Michael Constantine, head of culture and sport and interim head of operations, answered questions on the safety of the development at the leisure centre site.

Dr Thompson claims cabinet members  were not made aware of the wider concerns about the site contained in the Stantec report:

He said:

“The purpose of this letter is to draw the Councillors’ attention to a number of key findings identified in that report, (that) clearly demonstrate the cavity in question is associated with ongoing subsidence activity relating to gypsum dissolution.

“The findings also reveal serious concerns about the extent of instability beneath other parts of the existing building and the inadequacy of the foundations that were used.

“Those concerns have clear implications for the new swimming pool development.”

What was said to cabinet members in May? 

At the cabinet meeting on May 26, Mr Constantine was asked by councillor and deputy leader Graham Swift if the project had followed protocols. Cllr Swift said:

“I think you are aware that there are residents out there who have written to members either under their amateur-guise of geology or potentially historic professional credentials for geology and have expressed some concerns about the work that is carrying out there.

“I just really wanted to take this opportunity to receive your assurances that although we are not necessarily in negotiations with the amateurs or the residents that are making the claims, just make sure we are undertaking professional surveys throughout this work, we have got the right technical geologists on all the work and that all the right protocols are taking place for the progress of this project.”

Mr Constantine responded, saying:

“I am very content to be able to give cabinet, council and any interested residents my assurance that as a project team we are employing sufficiently qualified and experienced geologists and geo-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 re-enforcement 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.”

Mr Constantine also said that the cavity discovered in September 2020:

“Is a shallow void which goes underneath the building and is not thought to be a related dissolution feature.”

What does the Stantec report say?

The ‘void’ was discovered on 14 September 2020, when principal contractor Willmott Dixon (WD) was excavating foundations for the new swimming pool extension to the leisure centre.

Stantec’s report, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, raised concerns about the load-bearing capacity of existing piles under the existing leisure centre, which would have been used to support the connection between the new pool and the leisure centre.

Discussions where held with Willmott Dixon and construction and property consultants Pick Everard  (PE) and a new design solution was put forward.

The report states that this approach is:

“Expected to provide sufficient mitigation of the risk of future ground collapse to the new extension.

“The risk of the ground collapse further impacting on the existing building can’t be overlooked, in the short term the void should be backfilled with inert crushed gravel and should be monitored and regularly topped up to maintain sidewall support to allow works on the extension and the raft foundation to be undertaken.

“Further detailed investigations are required to evaluate the stability of the existing building given the concerns raised.”

Dr Thompson’s letter to councillors makes it clear that he thinks more needs to be done following the report:

“Any further development in the same area (such as the new swimming pool) would clearly require very extensive ground investigations and very careful foundation design, in line with the protocols set out in Policy NE9.

“Even then, it would not be surprising to conclude that, on this particular site, an adequate engineering solution for a public building might not be financially feasible.

“Inadequate ground investigations may have been carried out, leading to reliance being placed on inappropriate engineering solutions.

What is the council’s response to Dr Thompson’s concerns? 

In a statement to the Stray Ferret a council spokesman said:

“The multi-million pound investment project at Ripon Leisure Centre shows our commitment to providing modern, fit-for-purpose leisure facilities for the people of Ripon.

“Given the well-known ground conditions in Ripon, we employed qualified and experienced geologists and geo-technic engineers to carry out necessary investigation works and advice on what would be required to provide this much need facility.

“A total of 441 grouting sites received 3,043 tonnes of grout which, along with the casting of a reinforced concrete slab, provides the foundation for the new swimming pool building.

“The void which is underneath the existing leisure centre is understood to have been present a number of years. This was only discovered as a result of the work to prepare the new swimming pool site.

“It is now being investigated and should any remedial work be required then it will be carried out.

“We are committed to providing this much needed facility that will encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for our residents and something they can be proud of.”

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Strayside Sunday: That sinking feeling in Ripon

Strayside Sunday is our monthly political opinion column. It is written by Paul Baverstock, former Director of Communications for the Conservative Party.

Hitherto I haven’t found it necessary to use this column to discuss matters of geology. However, recent events in Ripon have forced my hand. 

It turns out that Ripon is built on ground heavy in gypsum; chemical formula CaSO 4·2H₂O.  Gypsum, Wikipedia informs, is a soft sulphate mineral composed of calcium sulphate dihydrate. The dihydrate bit is important to this story because it means 2 crystalised molecules of water. 

By the way, gypsum is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard/sidewalk chalk, and drywall; just FYI. It should not be confused with flotsam, the wreckage that remains afloat when a ship has sunk, or with jetsam, the cargo thrown overboard from a ship in distress.

Currently, neither gypsum, flotsam nor jetsam would be able to float in Ripon Spa baths.  Alongside the leisure centre to which they are attached, the new baths remain shut, while the works to build them and to upgrade the adjoining leisure centre are delayed. It seems that a large void (a sinkhole to you and me) has opened on the leisure centre site.  It turns out that Ripon’s new leisure centre and baths is being built on ground with obvious stability issues.  You see, when crystalised dihydrate is exposed to the right conditions (water and heat), it dissolves and leaks away, creating a hole in the ground. Let’s hope and trust that, when eventually completed, Ripon baths don’t leak.

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Chartered Geologist Dr. Alan Thompson has written to Harrogate Borough Council to warn them of the inadequacies of the ground investigations undertaken so far and of the ongoing risk of subsidence. In his letter he expresses his support of the concerns raised by Ripon resident and Chartered Engineer Stanley Mackintosh “regarding the ongoing risk subsidence, the inadequacy of recent ground investigations, and the prospects of instability being exacerbated by the techniques being used”. I hope that the council takes note of those serious and legitimate concerns. My fear is that they won’t,

The void itself needs to be remediated at a cost of £110,000 of Her Majesty’s Pounds Sterling and the council’s insurers need to be reassured that the £3 million plus they have underwritten the site for is based on, ahem, sound footings. Meanwhile, notwithstanding Freedom of Information requests from the Ferret’s intrepid staff, HBC continue to hold the line that the final costs for the leisure centre are commercially sensitive and will therefore remain confidential.  I bet they are.  For ‘commercially sensitive’ read expensive, over-budget and wasteful. If they are not, then what does the council have to hide and gain from confidentiality?

Meanwhile it transpires that the council has again awarded a large single source contract, without competitive tender, for the design work of a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and for the refurbishment of Harrogate Hydro. Alliance Leisure are to be paid £2,107,161 for the eleven months of work on the £26 million projects. 

Eyebrows have been raised all around the district because Alliance hail not from our local economy but rather from Somerset. The contract to build our facilities has, in short, been awarded to “comers-in”. It won’t do. Still, I suppose local hostelries will benefit from a rise in cider sales and will need to stock up on Cheddar. No doubt Alliance is a fine company but, in all seriousness, awarding their contract this way is yet another example of a council that doesn’t know how to behave. It is secretive, arrogant and unaccountable.

Meanwhile, the good people of Starbeck find their own historic baths remain shuttered.  The council blame staff shortages and the difficulties of operating ‘covid-safe’ for its continued closure.  No re-opening date has been announced and fears are rising that the council plan to close the baths permanently and sell the site for development. I’ve written here before about the potential dangers of spinning off the district’s leisure facilities into a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC). In the pursuit of a commercial approach to running the show there will, by definition, be winners and losers. That’s what makes it commercial. In my view leisure is a public good and ought to be operated by the council as such so that it offers universal access to all the district’s residents.  

Each year the NHS spends roughly £60 billion, roughly 40% of its budget, on treating people for avoidable chronic health conditions. Physical activity is a modifiable risk factor for up to 50 chronic conditions, from obesity to diabetes, from cardio-pulmonary disorder to heart failure. And we know that those suffering from these illnesses have disproportionately borne the brunt of both Covid-19 serious illness and mortality. The bottom line is this; the less well off in our society suffer striking health inequality, the costs for which we all bare. We must make getting people active a local as well as a national priority.  We should be opening more leisure facilities, not closing them.  If we don’t then we will be building on gypsum, not just in Ripon, but across the district.

That’s my Strayside Sunday.    

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Investigation into hole in the ground at Ripon Leisure Centre

Harrogate Borough Council is to investigate a hole in the ground that’s appeared at Ripon Leisure Centre.

In a report due before senior councillors next week, the authority said it is 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.

Construction firm Willmott Dixon was awarded a £10.2 million contract last year to build the pool and refurbish the leisure centre. It is due to be complete in November 2021.

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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.

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

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”.

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.

A report due before the council’s cabinet next week says:

“In order to retain the benefit of our existing insurance cover in the future, the council is obliged to mitigate known issues which could have an effect on this insurance cover. 

“The discovery of a void by the existing leisure centre is an issue which needs investigating and remedial works undertaken if necessary. 

“If the remedial works are not undertaken, the council’s insurers have stated that subsequent losses would not be insured. 

“However during the period of time these investigation and remediation works are ongoing they would not be covered by insurance therefore the council would have to self-insure for all non-negligent damage claims arising.”

It added that the engineers found that the hole had been there “for some time” and was not a result of the current work at the leisure centre site.

Councillors have been recommended to approve the investigation, which is estimated to cost £110,000, and any remedial works.

The Stray Ferret asked the borough council what caused the hole to appear, how wide it was and if any further voids or sinkholes had been found.

A council spokesman said:

“As a result of the reduced level dig – to prepare the new swimming pool site – for the casting of the reinforced concrete foundation slab, a void was discovered under an area of the existing leisure centre.

“This void, which is understood to have been present a number of years, will now be investigated further.

“While this will need to be resolved, we are fortunate that it was discovered as part of the multi-million pound Ripon Leisure Centre improvement project, and we can now carry out the necessary remedial works in the coming months.

“And once the whole project is complete, the leisure centre will provide the much-needed modern facilities that will encourage a healthier and more active lifestyle for our residents and something they can be proud of for years to come.”

Concerns over the Leisure Centre site

Cllr Andrew Williams, leader of Ripon City Council, said the authority had asked the borough council about concerns over the site before.

Sixteen months before Harrogate council approved the project in 2019 to build the new swimming pool, a sinkhole appeared in the leisure centre car park.

Cllr Williams said:

“If there is ongoing problem with the build site then it is in the public interest to know.”

Ground instability problems caused by the soluble nature of gypsum have been seen in many parts of Ripon.

The Stray Ferret reported in October 2020 about the evacuation of a residential block at Bedern Court, caused by subsidence in the area.

In February 2018, a sinkhole opened up on the car park of Ripon Leisure Centre, off Dallamires Lane.

In 2016, a dozen homes in Magdalens Road were evacuated after a 66-ft wide sinkhole opened up.

Lib Dems criticise ‘abysmal’ communication over leisure company

Harrogate Liberal Democrats have criticised an “abysmal lack of communication” from the borough council on its decision to overhaul leisure services in the district.

Councillors on the opposition group said concerns raised about the shakeup “fell on deaf ears” and added that many were left unaware of the consultation.

The criticism comes after senior councillors last night voted to set up a new company, called Brimham’s Active, to run facilities such as the Harrogate Hydro, Ripon Leisure Centre and Nidderdale Leisure Centre.

Liberal Democrat councillors have set “red lines” for the company, including transparency, affordable prices and investing profits back into leisure.

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The group has also called for Starbeck Baths to be protected. Council leader, Richard Cooper, has vowed not to close the facility while he was in post.

Pat Marsh, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said the communication from the authority gave her “no reassurance that this will be transparent and accountable”. She said:

“If this is to go ahead it must be done with very little day-to-day difference within the service.

“It must be about delivering a quality service, not a profit-hungry corporation. It must remain affordable, with prices not increasing beyond inflation. It must guarantee the protection of services, especially Starbeck Baths. 

“It must be transparent and accountable, with major decisions being made by full council. Current workers must be protected and new staff must receive the same pay and conditions.”

The council said it will save around £400,000 a year on leisure and sport, which last year was estimated to have cost taxpayers £3.5 million.

Council officials will also borrow £26 million from the government’s Public Works Loans Board to fund an investment strategy into the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre in Knaresborough.

The new company is expected to be operating by August 2021 and will cost the council £300,000 to set up.

Harrogate Borough Council has been approached for comment.

Nearly half disagree with council’s leisure service shake-up

As senior Harrogate councillors decide on setting up a new leisure company to run services across the district, the responses from the public have not all been positive.

Nearly half of the 433 respondents to the council’s consultation on the future of leisure and sport said they either strongly disagreed or disagreed with the plan to set up an arms length company.

The authority is to vote tonight on whether or not to set up the company owned by the council, called Brimham’s Active, to run services such as the Harrogate Hydro and Ripon Leisure Centre.

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Within the consultation document there are a number of reasons why people don’t agree with the proposal.

One person said they were concerned that the move was the first step toward higher prices.

“Although it will be a Local Authority Controlled Company, I see this as the first step to handing over the company to a private company for profit and this would lead to higher charges in the long run.”

Another said the authority should retain control of the service.

“Given the anticipated savings are not proportionally huge, I would rather the council stayed in full control.”

Others said it should serve the interest of the wider public.

Giving over control of our wonderful leisure services to a private company (even a LACC), whose primary aim will be to generate a profit rather than serve the best interests of the society, seems a very bad idea.

Around 27% neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal, 19% agreed and 8% strongly agreed.

If given the go-ahead, the company would run services in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

The council said the company and future investment would help to save money on leisure services which currently operate at a £3.5 million loss.

But the plans have been met by opposition from both residents in Starbeck, where the local baths future would be considered by the council, and unions which expressed concern at the consultation process.

Who will run Ripon’s £10m Leisure Centre?

Who will be running the Ripon’s refurbished and extended Leisure Centre when it eventually opens?

The question arises, with construction workers back in force at the Dallamires Lane site, where a swimming pool will be part of the £10m leisure complex commissioned by Harrogate Borough Council.

The council is currently consulting on the possibility of creating a Local Authority Controlled Company or LACC, to run leisure facilities that it owns.

As reported by The Stray Ferret, Ripon Leisure Centre is among the council-owned facilities that would be run by the LACC, if the money-saving proposals go ahead, meaning that staff currently employed directly by the local authority would transfer to the new arm’s-length company – a move which Unison’s Harrogate Local Government Branch says raises concerns about jobs and the terms and conditions that would apply to employees.

The council declined to comment when approached about Unison’s concerns.

Ripon’s new six-lane 25 metre swimming pool will replace the city’s Edwardian Spa Baths, that opened in 1905. It will be part of an extended leisure centre (see artist’s impression above) with new changing rooms, community areas, two dance studios and a ‘spin’ studio. Outside, there will be new play areas, a reconfigured car park and sheltered cycle rack.

Following a shut-down caused by the coronavirus crisis, approximately 30 workers, including management, have been back on site since 30th April and Nick Corrigan, operations director for principal contractor Willmott Dixon, said:

“Work started safely in accordance with public health guidelines and adhering to the Construction Leadership Council’s Site Operating Procedures, to ensure the safety and welfare of everyone on site.”

Last week, construction was among the sectors for which the government encouraged workers to resume work, as it revised its lockdown guidance.

Construction sites have to be operated following strict procedures including travel to work, site access and egress, social distancing of employees, hygiene, use of canteens and toilet facilities.