Ripon Pool Archives - The Stray Ferret

Older half of Ripon Leisure Centre ‘would have to close for good’ without £3.5m groundworks

The older half of Ripon Leisure Centre would have to permanently close unless newly-approved groundworks costing £3.5 million are carried out, a council official has said.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at Harrogate Borough Council, made the statement at a cabinet meeting last night when councillors agreed to the remedial works on underground voids found at the site.

Mr Watson also stressed that the leisure centre’s new swimming pool – which opened in March – is unaffected by what is planned and will remain open throughout. He said:

“We really do need to seek to address the ground conditions.

“If we chose not to do the work, then the reality is we wouldn’t be reopening the leisure centre.”

Mr Watson added the underground voids are believed to have been present for several years and were not caused by building works for the new pool.

The discovery during the pool construction in 2020 prompted an investigation by an engineering firm which this month revealed the extent of the ground stability issues at the site.

Stantec found “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre built in 1995 and also warned that not carrying out groundworks would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”.

The works due to start in December mean more costs and delays for the venue’s new pool and refurbishment project which is believed to have cost in excess of £18 million so far.

The original contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon was worth £10.2 million for the scheme originally due for completion in May 2021.

The project was approved in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

Mike Chambers and Graham Swift, Cabinet meeting

Cllr Swift speaking at last night’s meeting.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said it was “good fortune” that the underground voids were discovered before a more serious collapse could have occurred.

He said:

“As a result of the fact that technologies have improved over the last 25 years, we have learnt a lot more about what is under the leisure facility.

“This is actually good fortune as it is good to know now. If we hadn’t had the swimming pool, we wouldn’t have discovered this until a genuine incident.”

Cllr Swift also said it was “very exciting” that a temporary gym is planned for the leisure centre car park during the groundworks which will close parts of the venue for at least 10 months from November.

The temporary gym will cost an additional £300,000, while the pool will remain open.

The leisure centre is reported to now have more than 14,000 members since the pool opened, generating around £34,000 a month which the council said will help offset some of the groundwork costs.

After these works are carried out, the refurbishment is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

Report reveals extent of ground issues at Ripon Leisure Centre

A report has revealed the extent of ground stability issues at Ripon Leisure Centre, which are set to cost £3.5 million to repair.

The findings from engineering firm Stantec spell out more bad news for the venue’s new swimming pool and refurbishment project, which is already over budget and more than a year overdue.

The new pool opened this year, but plans for a larger gym and exercise studios have been delayed after an underground void was discovered at the site.

This prompted an investigation by Stantec which has now revealed evidence of multiple voids and “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre, which was built in 1995.

It has warned that not carrying out remedial repairs would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”. The report said:

“These investigations have revealed that disturbed and brecciated bedrock is not isolated to the north western corner of the building.

“It is envisaged that structural strengthening would likely require remedial works on not only the ground floor of the building, but also in areas of the already renovated top floor of the building.”

The existing leisure centre adjoins the new pool

Ripon is susceptible to sinkholes because it lies on a layer of water-soluble rock called gypsum.

In 2018, a sinkhole opened up outside the leisure centre before Harrogate Borough Council approved the new pool plans a year later despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground stability issues.

The council has continually insisted that professional advice has made it clear that the site is “safe to use”.

However, the repairs required are now proving costly and causing long delays for the refurbishment project.

Stantec’s report said foundations were not driven deep enough into the ground when the leisure centre was built 27 years ago and that it remains unclear why this happened as “many critical records” are missing.

It added that if the foundations were to fail because of this, it was unlikely to be “catastrophic”.

The voids are believed to be part of a “network” of underground holes beneath the leisure centre – some of which were “successfully” repaired during the construction of the new swimming pool.

Grouting – where material is pumped into the ground – is likely to be used again during the repairs, although Stantec added more assessments and monitoring will be required on top of this.

The report said:

“A further programme of structural assessment of the existing building is recommended to understand how the building might be best retrofitted to accommodate the risks of ground collapse.

“Strengthening alone is unlikely to mitigate risks to acceptable levels and would likely need to be adopted in combination with other strategies and require long-term monitoring as the building continues in usage.”

If approved by senior councillors next week, the remedial works would start in December with refurbishment set for completion in spring 2024.

The works would mean the leisure centre would have to partially close for at least 10 months from November.

A temporary gym in the venue’s car park has been proposed and will cost an additional £300,000, while the new pool would remain open throughout.

Stray Views: More houses in Harrogate district should mean lower council tax

Stray Views is a weekly column giving you the chance to have your say on issues affecting the Harrogate district. It is an opinion column and does not reflect the views of the Stray Ferret. Send your views to letters@thestrayferret.co.uk.

New houses should mean lower council tax

Not only do we have thousands of new houses in the district but 1,700 extra have been built! I cannot, therefore, understand why our council tax is going up rather than coming down!

I would assume a surfeit, especially with so many being in the higher bands.

Janet Palmer, Knaresborough

Why are roads constantly being dug up?

Leadhall Lane in Harrogate has been a shambles of a road for many years, with deep potholes causing hazards for motorists and cyclists.

At the same time, numerous gas leaks have been excavated and repaired, to the cost of Northern Gas Networks and the exceptional inconvenience of local road users.

The potholes caused considerable crashes and bangs into the road from school buses and lorries. Hurrah! It was relaid in 2021.

Yesterday there was a gas stink in Leadhall Lane. Today there is a big hole in Leadhall Lane. Northern Gas Networks is digging it up again.

Why do we have to suffer this continual under-performance from the council in relation to controlling the actions of privatised utility companies? Are they incompetent or not?

David Graham, Harrogate

Stray Ferret penalised for reporting facts

It comes as no surprise that your reporter was refused access to Ripon’s new pool when other media was allowed.

You are being penalised for reporting the real facts about the farcical events surrounding the pool and its build not forgetting the extra money we gave the construction firm.

Myself and thousands of others applaud you The Stray Ferret for all your news articles released to us.

Maranda Harling, Ripon

Do you have an opinion on the Harrogate district? Email us at letters@thestrayferret.co.uk. Please include your name and approximate location details. Limit your letters to 350 words. We reserve the right to edit letters.

New Ripon playground gets thumbs-up on opening

A new children’s play area in Ripon opened for families today.

The Dallamires Playground is part of the city’s new £15m Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane. The pool is set to open on Wednesday.

The playground seems to have gone down well on social media, with posts from parents saying it looks like “so much fun” and “wonderful for little kids”.

The play area can be accessed from a public footpath off Knaresborough Road.

Three-year-old Lottie (pictured in our main image), was one of the first children to play on one of the slides.

Her mum Kim said:

“it’s a lovely new play area for families to bring children to from this part of the city.”

Stray Ferret banned from today’s Ripon pool media opening

The Stray Ferret was refused entry to Ripon’s new leisure centre today by staff from Harrogate Borough Council.

Our Ripon reporter Tim Flanagan, who lives in the city, was turned away by a council press officer when he arrived shortly before 2pm.

Tim was told today’s event at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre was for councillors only and separate arrangements would be made for the press at a later date.

It later transpired that several other media outlets were allowed to look around the new complex today to provide coverage ahead of Wednesday’s opening date.

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, who witnessed the incident, said it appeared Harrogate Borough Council was censoring media organisations that asked “legitimate questions” about the way public money is spent and this was “totally unacceptable”.

The Stray Ferret has led on coverage of delays to the construction of the pool and mounting costs, as well as concerns about sinkholes. The pool was due to be ready nine months ago and the leisure centre project is £4m over budget.

Part of the site remains closed for further work after a void — a gap below the surface — was discovered last year.

‘Totally unacceptable’

Cllr Williams, said:

“I can confirm that Harrogate Borough Council’s PR officer told the Stray Ferret journalist that he was not able to look around the new swimming pool and that today’s event was for councillors only and a separate event for the press is yet to be organised and the Stray Ferret will be invited to this.

“I now understand that other media was invited around today and if it’s a case that Harrogate Borough Council has adopted a censorship policy that bars media who ask legitimate questions on the way that public money is spent, this is totally unacceptable in a democracy and is more like the way that Vladimir Putin handles affairs in Russia.”

The Stray Ferret has reported concerns by Ripon-based chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh about the wisdom of the council building a swimming pool on land with a history of ground instability issues.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, has also raised safety concerns — as covered by the Stray Ferret.

We have also reported concerns about the proposed price hike for Ripon City Swimming Club to use the pool to teach swimming.

‘No lifeguards on duty’

A council spokesman said:

“Tim wasn’t banned from entering the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre today.

“Today’s invite was for Ripon city councillors to have a first-look at the facility before it opens on Wednesday. As we explained to the councillors, there are still some finishing touches to complete and them to be mindful while walking around the new pool.

“There were also no lifeguards on duty so we needed to be cautious about the number of people poolside.”

The Stray Ferret replied by asking if it was a councillors-only event why other media outlets were allowed to attend.

Thank you to both @BBCLookNorth and @itvcalendar for coming down to the @JackLaugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in #Ripon this morning.

You can find out more about the new facility this evening or by visiting https://t.co/xAAVxhHReg pic.twitter.com/Os3ZLoJAlC

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) February 28, 2022

The spokesman said:

“Tim wasn’t refused entry and others allowed in; BBC Look North and ITV Calendar had a first-look this morning and we were limited on time.”

The statement did not mention that local media were also invited — but not the Stray Ferret.

We were subsequently invited to an invitation to view the centre tomorrow.

Ripon pool and leisure centre to open next week

Ripon’s new leisure centre and pool will open on Wednesday, it was announced this afternoon.

Harrogate Borough Council has just published a series of tweets announcing the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre on Dallamires Lane will welcome its first visitors at 6.30am.

The facilities include a 25-metre six-lane pool and sauna and steam room.

The council said in a statement:

“The new six-lane 25m swimming pool has 70 per cent more water space compared to Ripon Spa Baths and has a wealth of improvements that come with modern swimming facilities.

“These include the AngelEye pool safety system that, with the use of underwater cameras, assists lifeguards to detect whether swimmers are in danger or drowning.

“The new pool will be open every day of the week and offers customers a variety of different activities, including general and family swim, swimming lessons and Aquafit, as well as a sauna suite.

“Outside, a new car park has been installed along with a sheltered cycle rack, electric car charging points and a new play area.”

The pool was due to be ready nine months ago and the project is currently £4m over budget.

https://twitter.com/Harrogatebc/status/1497259622234796036

✅ Sauna and steam room
✅ Changing village with level access
✅ Dedicated baby-changing facilities
✅ Family cubicles and group changing facilities
✅ Pool hoists and reserved parking for those with disabilities
✅ Swimming lessons and children's parties

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) February 25, 2022

https://twitter.com/Harrogatebc/status/1497259627209236481

Ripon pool and playgrounds will not be open for half-term

Ripon’s multi-million pound swimming pool will not be open on time for next week’s half-term school holidays.

It and the new Dallamires children’s play area, created on site as part of the £15 million leisure development, are now expected to open next month, according to staff on site.

The play area, which can be accessed from a public footpath off Knaresborough Road, remains fenced off. A sign on the fencing says it ‘will open as soon as possible in the new year’.

The pool was due to be ready nine months ago and the project is currently £4m over budget.

In a further setback for parents and grandparents looking for places to take children next week, the Ripon City Council-owned Quarry Moor playground will not be reopening for the time being.

Long-term delay

The six-lane pool was originally due to be completed in May last year for an opening in the summer.

But ground stability issues on site that required remediation caused the initial delay and saw Harrogate Borough Council announce that the opening was going to be in November.

A weather-beaten sign at the Dallamires Play Area says it would open in ‘as soon as possible in the new year’.

A planned opening date of December 8 was subsequently announced but a fault discovered during testing of the pool’s lining, saw the council say that the opening would take place in January.

When asked if the pool would be open during the half-term holidays, a Harrogate Borough Council spokesman replied:

“A date hasn’t been confirmed yet.”

However, a woman who was hoping to take her grandchildren there next week contacted the Stray Ferret and said:

“I went to the leisure centre this week and was told by two members of staff that the pool would be opening at the start of next month.

“This is frustrating, because I had also visited the leisure centre in January to check if the pool would be open for half-term and was told by staff that it would open either later that month or the beginning of February.”

The grandmother, who asked to remain anonymous, added:

“I don’t want to make a fuss, the staff at the centre were very helpful, but it was disappointing when I also asked about the new children’s playground and was told it would be opening at the same time as the pool.”

Quarry Moor playground still closed

Half a mile from the pool, the Quarry Moor playground, which closed in September because of rat infestation, still remains shut.

Photo of the closed Quarry Moor Playground

The Quarry Moor playground will also be closed next week

Ripon City Council leader Andrew Williams, said:

“We apologise for the fact that the playground won’t be open.

“With the vermin issue under control, we had hoped that it could be back in use for the half-term holiday, but the condition of the play equipment has deteriorated.

“We need to carry out further inspection to assess if it is economical to carry out repairs, or go for a complete refurbishment with the installation of new equipment and aim to reopen in time for the Easter holidays.”

Last year, the city council set aside £70,000 for refurbishment of the playground and Cllr Williams said that additional sources of grant funding were also being explored.

Still no opening date for Ripon’s new swimming pool

There is still no opening date for Ripon’s new swimming pool as the multi-million pound project continues to run over budget and into more construction problems.

Harrogate Borough Council had originally aimed to open the pool in May 2021, but the project is now nine months overdue and £4 million over budget.

This is after several construction problems, most recently including a fault in the lining of the pool. An underground void has also been discovered at the adjoining leisure centre site which has prompted an £110,000 investigation.

Cllr Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at the council, previously said he anticipated the pool would open in January.

But the council has now confirmed that a revised opening date has still not been set.

Speaking in December, Cllr Lumley said:

“New swimming pools go through a significant amount of testing to ensure they are safe to use for years to come and provide the best experience for the customer.

“During the testing period of the new six-lane 25-metre swimming pool at the leisure centre on Dallamires Road in Ripon, an issue was identified with the lining of the pool.

“In order to resolve this issue, Myrtha – the pool manufacturer – will be carrying out additional work, at no expense to the borough council, to prepare the pool for opening.”

The council awarded a £10 million contract for the pool build to construction firm Willmott Dixon in January 2020. As of last month, £13,422,309 had been spent on the project with a further £584,690 allocated.

The leisure centre

This includes money spent on investigation works after the underground void was discovered at the site. It was found in 2020, but only became public knowledge last May when the investigation launched.

These works are currently underway and are likely to continue into spring.

Gypsum deposits

Initial studies suggest there has been a “significant deterioration” of the ground beneath the older half of the centre which was built in 1995 and like much of Ripon sits on gypsum deposits.

It is likely that ground strengthening works will be needed, although the council has insisted the leisure centre is still “safe to use”.

The new pool is being built as a replacement for Ripon Spa Baths which closed in November, leaving the city without a pool for the last three months.

The 116-year-old baths was put up for sale by the council in a move which sparked concerns that the venue could lose its community use and also prompted Ripon City Council to successfully apply for the building to be nominated as an asset of community value.

This protected status means any sale has now been put on hold for several months to allow time for community bids to come forward.

Brimhams Active defends its stance on £8,000 increase for use of Ripon pool

The managing director of Brimhams Active, which operates Harrogate Borough Council’s leisure centres, has defended the company’s stance on a proposed £8,000 price increase for one of its users.

This has, however, led to a clash with Ripon City Council leader, Andrew Williams.

Volunteer-run Ripon City Swimming Club (RCSC), which has been teaching children to swim for more than 100 years, said it had been priced out of using Ripon’s new swimming pool.

The club, which had previously held weekly sessions at now-closed Spa Baths at an annual cost of £4,500, told the Stray Ferret it was ‘mortified’ by a price hike to £12,500 per annum for use of the city’s newly-constructed facility, when it opens later this year,

Cllr Williams described the increase as ‘disgusting.’

This, in turn, prompted Brimhams Active managing director Mark Tweedie to contact the council leader by email, in which he said:

“For commercial, safety and quality assurance reasons we are mandated to be the sole provider of swimming lessons in the facilities we operate on behalf of the local authority.

“In this regard we have had numerous meetings and correspondence with RCSC over a significant period of time to try and come to an arrangement that would allow the club to continue to hire the pool with an adjusted offer that meets set standards and does not duplicate the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.”

In the email exchange, which has been seen by the Stray Ferret, Mr Tweedie added:

“The Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme is accredited by Swim England (the governing body for swimming). It teaches swimmers how to be competent and confident in the water through a recognised quality assured framework.

“Young people joining the scheme have the added value benefit of free access to Brimhams Active operated pools during any general swim sessions providing more opportunities to develop their swimming and love for swimming.”

‘We need to operate commercially’

He added:

“We have offered to work with and directly support the club to enable them to adjust their offer so they can continue to help young people develop their swimming without duplicating the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.”

“Working with us to adjust their offer would enable the club to continue to hire the pool at the same rate they were previously paying. However, should the club want to maintain their current offer we have provided the option for them to hire the pool at a commercial rate recognising the club would be in effect competing with the Brimhams Active Learn to Swim programme.

“The club would also need to adhere to the same rigorous safety and quality standards as Brimhams Active. The commercial rate is an exclusive rate offered to the club and is based on the true costs of hiring the facility.

“We need to operate commercially in order to cover the operating costs of the facility as well as generate vital funds for the local authority to continue to be able to provide efficient and effective public services.”

‘You need to rethink’

In his response to Mr Tweedie, Cllr Williams, said:

“You state ‘for commercial’ as your first words and that is exactly the problem, you are seeking to use your position to have a monopoly on the way in which children are taught to swim by using only your lessons.

“The Ripon (City) Swimming Club have taught many children how to swim and in a way which is affordable for many hard-pressed families.

“You conclude again with the need to operate commercially. Might I remind you that the land upon which the yet to be opened pool sits was gifted to the children of Ripon for recreational use not for the commercial benefit of a soon to be defunct local authority.

“You need to urgently rethink your approach on this matter.”

BREAKING: Ripon pool opening delayed until January after fault found

Ripon’s new swimming pool will not open until January after a fault was found with the lining of the pool during testing.

The six-lane pool on Dallamires Lane was due to open to swimmers on December 8 but will now be delayed to an unconfirmed date in January 2022.

Harrogate Borough Council said pool manufacturer Myrtha will be carrying out additional work to fix the problem, at no extra cost to the council.

Conservative councillor Stanley Lumley, HBC’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“New swimming pools go through a significant amount of testing to ensure they are safe to use for years to come and provide the best experience for the customer.

“During the testing period of the new six-lane 25metre swimming pool at the leisure centre on Dallamires Road in Ripon, an issue was identified with the lining of the pool.

“We understand this is disappointing but would like to reassure you we are working as quickly and as thoroughly as possible to open the pool as soon as we can.”

Harrogate Borough Council closed Ripon Spa Baths last month in anticipation of the new pool opening. It now means there is nowhere to have a swim in Ripon until the new year.

The council has not released details of exactly what the fault is. It’s not clear if it is related to the ground the pool has been built on.

However, concerns have again been raised recently that the site could be permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.

Earlier this month after a council-commissioned report by engineering company Stantec outlined measures to mitigate the effects of a void that was detected last year.

Dr Alan Thompson, a geologist and director of Cuesta Consulting in Somerset, called for the council to postpone a decision on the measures and give greater consideration to finding an alternative site.

Senior councillors voted to press ahead with its plan to carry out further work while opening most of the site.

The Stray Ferret revealed today that Ripon’s new leisure project is now more than £4m over budget.

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New houses should mean lower council tax

Why are roads constantly being dug up?

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Stray Ferret penalised for reporting facts

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‘Totally unacceptable’

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‘No lifeguards on duty’

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Gypsum deposits

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‘We need to operate commercially’

‘You need to rethink’

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