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.

Work on ‘worn out’ Ripon flats could get under way this summer

Work to improve “worn out” flats next to the site of a sinkhole risk in Ripon could get under way this summer, a senior councillor has said.

Cllr Mike Chambers, cabinet member for housing and safer communities at Harrogate Borough Council, said the refurbishment of Allhallowgate flats had been delayed due to covid but would get started at the “end of summer or beginning of autumn”.

The project was first agreed in 2014 and the latest update follows complaints from residents and councillors that the ageing building has become an eyesore.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, Cllr Sid Hawke, who represents the Ripon Ure Bank ward, described the flats as “shobby” and “looking a bit tired and worn out”.

The building sits next to a cordoned off site where separate plans for 17 new flats were abandoned two years ago due to problems with ground stability.

Cllr Chambers told Wednesday’s meeting that ground levelling works to tidy up the site were now under way ahead of landscaping.

He said:

“We are now moving forward.

“We have started work on the site – we are levelling that off and it is going to be landscaped.”

And on the Allhallowgate flats refurbishments, Cllr Chambers added:

“It has taken rather longer than we hoped because of covid and I don’t offer that as an excuse. We did use those properties to house people that we brought in off the streets to ensure they were protected.

“The work on those is set to begin in earnest at the end of summer or beginning of autumn and hopefully we will be well on the way to getting them refurbished and made much better than they are.

“They are going to be bigger allround and hopefully back in use by the early part of next year.”

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Ripon is one of the UK’s most sinkhole-prone cities as it sits above a layer of gypsum – a water-soluble rock that leads to the formation of large underground caves that can collapse.

In 2018, a sinkhole was discovered at the city’s leisure centre before works on a new swimming pool and refurbishment project were given a go-ahead to start a year later.

Two years earlier, another sinkhole saw 12 properties on Magdalens Road evacuated in 2016.

More recently, construction crews working on the new swimming pool discovered an underground void at the site last year and an investigation into how to fix the issue is currently underway.

Ripon’s MP supports action on unsafe building

Ripon’s MP, Julian Smith, is supporting property owners and tenants in their call for urgent action over homes in danger of collapse.

Mr Smith has contacted local authorities in an attempt to facilitate an urgent meeting about the situation.

Mat Pritchard, Chair of Bedern Court Ltd (BCL), a not-for-profit company controlled by leaseholders and owners, said:

“We are thankful to Mr Smith for his decisive intervention.

“He clearly recognises the need to act quickly and has responded to our call for emergency planning authorities to meet with us.”

Mr Pritchard added:

“The seriousness of our situation can be seen in the fact that Peacock’s Passage, just next to our building, has been barriered off and chained up because it isn’t safe for people to use as a footpath.”

Photo of warning sign at Peacock's Passage

The warning sign says it all

Subsidence, that saw large cracks opening up in external and internal walls, led to the evacuation of four properties last month – 1, 3 and 5 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths.

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They are part of the same block, in the brick-built 29-property residential complex, which opened in 1986.

Peacock’s Passage, which also shows visible signs of subsidence, runs between Bedern Court and the adjacent Sanctuary Court and links Skellgarths to Kirkgate.

The footpath closure was granted after BCL contacted North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC).

Melisa Burnham, highways area manager, for NYCC, said:

“North Yorkshire County Council, as the Local Highway Authority, has closed the footpath as a precautionary measure at the request of Harrogate Borough Council Emergency Planning team.

“It is Harrogate Borough Council’s responsibility to co-ordinate future actions, but our highways team will continue to assist where required.”

Mr. Smith was contacted by BCL, because of the precarious and worsening condition of the block and the potential danger it poses to passers-by, adjacent properties and road users.

Mr Pritchard pointed out:

“BCL has taken all appropriate actions and is doing everything in its power to protect residents and other people, but with the unpredictable nature of sink holes in Ripon and the unsafe state of the block, we need the authorities to act, and act quickly.”

 

Subsidence causes evacuation of four Ripon homes

Extensive subsidence has caused the evacuation of four properties in a Ripon housing development.

The problem is believed to be caused by sinkholes in the area.

It was deemed so severe that owners of two of the properties in Bedern Court were advised by tenancy management company Joplings to tell tenants they had to leave for their own safety.

Mat Pritchard, whose 81-year-old father Norman was living in 5 Bedern Court, had to rapidly make arrangements for him to move out.

Tenants at the other properties, 1 and 3 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths, which is within the scheme, have also had to move out at very short notice.

Mr Pritchard is chairperson for Bedern Court Ltd, which is a non-profit company controlled by leaseholders and owners.

It manages the leaseholds and freeholds for the 29-unit brick-built block, which was built in 1986.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“The block has now been in effect, partially condemned for human habitation, with numbers 3 and 5 worst affected and issues also affecting the neighbouring  properties at 1 Bedern Court and 17 Skellgarths.”

Mr Pritchard said:

“Joplings told BCL that a recent geo-technical and building site investigation had returned very concerning results and they believed that flats 3 and 5 were no longer safely habitable.”

Photograph of Mat and Jane Pritchard at Bedern Court

Jane and Mat Pritchard are pictured at Bedern Court, where their flat is deemed unsafe because of major subsidence issues.

He added:

“Our priority was the safety of the tenants after large internal and external cracks opened up. Because of the visible shift of the building it was also necessary to evacuate the two adjoining properties.”

The block is within the shadow of Ripon Cathedral and alongside one of the main routes into the city centre.

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An adjacent block of flats built after the Bedern Court development was subsequently demolished and Peacock’s Passage, which runs between the two sites, has clear signs of subsidence.

BCL believe that sinkholes in the area are the likely cause of the subsidence, but claims dating back to 2009 lodged with underwriters Aviva and subsequently QBE, have been turned down by both insurers.

Mr Pritchard said:

“In the urgent situation we find ourselves, we have lodged a further claim with QBE.

“We have also contacted our MP Julian Smith and Ripon City Council seeking any help or advice they can give us and we will continue to ask for cooperation from the owners of neighbouring sites.”