Ripon councillors are calling on North Yorkshire County Council not to sanction spending £3.5 million on remediation works at the city’s leisure centre.

The city council believes that other options should be fully investigated, including building a new centre at a different location where there are stable ground conditions.

The ground floor of the leisure centre has stayed closed due to safety concerns and Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) is to install a temporary gym on the site.

The call from city councillors comes after a report by engineering firm Stantec into the ground stability issues affecting the existing centre’s foundations.

The report, supplied following a Freedom of Information Request made to HBC, ruled out a new location for the centre, but Independent city council leader Andrew Williams, who was elected to NYCC in May, said:

“They (HBC) are blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin.”

He added:

“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.

“Instead of throwing good money after bad, we need to call on North Yorkshire Council, who will take over responsibility from April, to put an end to this additional spending and look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land.”

As part of the devolution process, any major financial decisions by HBC will need to be approved by NYCC’s executive. Permission needs to be given for capital projects costing £1 million and above.

A report to a meeting of HBC’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.

Response from Harrogate Borough Council

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Building a new leisure centre at another site in Ripon would cost a significant amount of money and would result in two separate facilities to maintain, two sets of running and staffing costs, for example.

“It would also involve purchasing land in a suitable location that we don’t currently have, going through the planning application process and disposing of the existing building safely, all of which would take time and a considerable amount of money. And there is no guarantee that a different site wouldn’t have similar ground conditions.

“Co-location of both wet and dry leisure facilities is also important for increasing and sustaining participation in exercise, as well as optimising revenue and cost recovery.

“The new gym combined with the pool on one site is proving to be extremely popular, and will be further complimented by two new activity studios, sports hall, a spin studio as well as meeting facilities.”

The spokesperson, added:

“Our consulting engineer has advised that a do-nothing approach is not advised. And although there is no immediate change in the geological risk profile to the building – that was originally built in 1995 and has provided sport and leisure services for more than 25 years – it is recommended that ground stabilisation works are undertaken to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come.”

A leading authority on Ripon sinkholes has called on Harrogate Borough Council to ‘get a reality check’ and abandon plans to spend yet more money on the city’s leisure centre.

The council said this month it plans to carry out further ground stability measures at the site, which could take a year.

A report to be considered by HBC’s cabinet on Wednesday, says the work will cost £3.5 million. If approved, this will take the running total on the project to more than £18 million.

The original contract awarded in November 2019 to construction company Willmott Dixon, had a price tag of £10.2 million for delivery of the scheme. The completion date was originally scheduled for May 2021.

Chartered geologist and town planner Dr Alan Thompson, who was the principal author of a major report on the city’s subsidence issues, has said the site will always carry a “significant residual risk” of problems.

Dr Thompson added that by not considering relocating to a new site, the council was “ploughing more and more money into a scheme which is destined to fail”.

He has sent a letter by email to council chief executive Wallace Sampson and all cabinet members expressing his concerns.

But the council’s cabinet looks set to vote in favour of further expenditure on remediation works at the site, after issuing a statement a week ago, in which it said:

“Harrogate Borough Council is set to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come by carrying out ground stabilisation works underneath the original leisure centre.”

The statement added:

“Since the leisure centre was first built in 1995, there has been a monumental improvement in engineering technology to assess ground conditions. The contractor has used this technology to produce a comprehensive report and programme of work, which will be provided to the cabinet.

“If approved by the cabinet on 17 August, the investment project is due to start in the autumn. Once the stabilisation works are complete – anticipated to be the following autumn – the first floor of the original leisure centre will reopen.”

The council’s view is considerably at odds with Dr Thompson’s opinion on the situation.

Stantec report finally revealed

The chartered geologist and town planner, whose comprehensive 1996 Ripon gypsum report was funded jointly by central government and Harrogate Borough Council, has spoken out, after studying detailed reports completed in June by consultants Stantec into ground and structural conditions at the leisure centre site.

Ripon Leisure Centre

The reports, which were obtained following a Freedom of Information request to the council by Ripon resident and chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh, were supplied to Dr Thompson, who said the documents:

“Have confirmed in great detail what was already known: that the leisure centre was built on very unstable land.

“They have also brought into sharp focus just how unstable it is, with the piled foundations deteriorating at an alarming rate, as a direct consequence of the ongoing nature of the subsidence processes.

“These findings have substantial implications in terms of the costs of further investigation and remediation, adding to those which have already been incurred.

“Disturbingly, however, the remediation which is being proposed — similar to that which has already been implemented beneath the new pool — cannot resolve the underlying cause of the problem: that of ongoing gypsum dissolution at depths of around 40 metres beneath the site.

“However much money is poured into this site, there will always be a significant ‘residual risk’ because of the unresolved problem of dissolution.”

Dr Thompson added:

“Astonishingly, the option of relocation has been excluded from consideration, for the stated reason that it is “not considered by Harrogate Borough Council to offer a more cost-effective approach”.

“By not allowing that option to even be considered, Harrogate Borough Council has blatantly tilted the balance in favour of ploughing more and more money into a scheme which is destined to fail. “

‘Outrageous failure’

In a direct appeal to Mr Sampson, Dr Thompson added:

“I would therefore urge you – and the council – to get a ‘reality check’ on what is going on here – in particular, the council’s outrageous failure to benchmark the escalating costs against the option of relocation.

“At the very least, proper, professional and independent consideration needs to be given to the concept of relocating the leisure centre and the new pool to an alternative site which is not affected by gypsum-related subsidence.

“Only by doing that, and by factoring the residual risk of staying at Camp Close into the equation, can the true cost-effectiveness of the options be properly compared.”

Read more:

• Ground remediation under Ripon Leisure Centre to cost £3.5 million
• Plan to open temporary gym at Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre
• Ripon leisure scheme, overdue and over budget

The Stray Ferret put Dr Thompson’s concerns to Harrogate Borough Council.

In response, a council spokesperson said: 

“Our consulting engineer has previously stated that in their professional opinion a do-nothing approach is not advised. And although there is no immediate change in the geological risk profile to the building – that was originally built in 1995 and has provided sport and leisure services for more than 25 years – it is recommended that ground stabilisation works are undertaken.

“Therefore, in order to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come, we plan on carrying out these necessary ground stabilisation works in the coming months.

“We’d also like to reaffirm these works are underneath the original leisure centre and not underneath the new six-lane 25metre swimming, which has had the necessary foundations in place.”

Ground stability work at Ripon Leisure Centre is set to cost £3.5 million and cause further delays for a refurbishment project which is already over budget and more than a year overdue.

The costs have been revealed in a Harrogate Borough Council report, which said the project now won’t be completed until spring 2024.

The centre’s new swimming pool opened this year, but plans for a larger gym and exercise studios have been delayed after underground voids were discovered beneath the older half of the site which was built in 1995.

Engineering firm Stantec carried out ground investigations over winter and has now proposed remedial works, which will cost the council £3.5 million and mean parts of the centre are closed for at least 10 months from November.

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

A report to a meeting of the council’s cabinet next week said the authority had made “every effort to provide an accurate estimate” of the costs, but added these could rise further once the ground stability works begin.

The report also said:

“It is appropriate and timely to undertake the remedial works now.

“The consulting engineer has previously stated that in their professional opinion a do-nothing approach is unacceptable from a public safety perspective.

“By undertaking the works, which also include installing post works monitoring equipment, the council will ensure that it has put into place adequate mitigation to address the risks.”

‘Deep concerns’ before building began

A decision to build the new swimming pool next to the existing leisure centre was made in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground stability issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

The council continually insisted that professional advice made it clear that the site is “safe to use” before it awarded a £10 million contract for the project to construction firm Wilmott Dixon in 2020.

Since then, a further £4.5 million has been set aside by the council after the discovery of the underground voids and other issues which delayed the opening of the new swimming pool.

This extra money does not include the ground stability works or temporary gym costs revealed this week.

If approved by cabinet members, the ground stability works will start in December and end next summer before checks are carried out and a monitoring system is installed.

The refurbishment works would then start after this, with completion in spring 2024.

Read more:

• Amazon driver killed Ripon motorcyclist while he sent Snapchat message, court hears
• Ripon families join in FunFest activities at Hell Wath

A developer looks set to be given extra time to complete a report into ground stability for a 30-house scheme in Ripon.

Wetherby firm Newett Homes received planning permission in February to build 30 homes at Springfield Close. Its previous bid to build 38 homes was refused.

But Harrogate Borough Council‘s decision was conditional on the company producing a satisfactory ground stability report within four months. Ripon is a notorious area for sink holes.

The report has yet to be produced but next week’s council planning committee looks set to grant Newett Homes a four-month extension.

A council officer’s report to the planning committee recommends it awards extra time but adds that if the report is not produced in another four months “the application be refused” due to concerns over unstable and contaminated land.

The report says:

“The applicant been progressing site investigations to determine the ground stability of the site but has been unable to complete the ground stability report within the specified four-month period, due to extensive lead-in times for the various elements of the necessary work.

“They are therefore seeking an extension of time for a further period to allow the works to be completed.”

It adds that given the amount of work that has already been carried out “it would be counterproductive to refuse the application at this stage, as it would result in additional unnecessary work for both the local authority and the applicant and could delay the site coming forward”.

Read more:

• £1.4m Georgian house owner threatens legal action over Ripon homes
• Ripon teacher dies after falling on hike in Italian Dolomites

The report concludes:

“It is therefore proposed to permit an extension of time to allow for the continuation of on-site works required to prepare the full ground investigation report.

“The recommendation is to extend the period to 30th October 2022.”

Councillors will decide on Tuesday next week whether to accept the officer’s recommendation.

The children of Ripon are paying the price for Harrogate Borough Council’s ‘incompetent handling’ of the multi-million pound leisure centre project.

That’s the view of Ripon City Council, which backed a call from Independent leader Andrew Williams for immediate action to make the overgrown playing fields at the Camp Close site useable in time for the summer holidays.

Councillors also called for barriers, restricting access to the bike and skate park on site, to be removed so that proper access is restored. Some fencing has been forced down by young people wanting to use the facility (pictured above).

The centre opened behind schedule and over budget in March.

The council also agreed on Monday evening, to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to HBC for a key report to be made public to discover the financial liability that council tax payers face for remedial work to leisure centre foundations.

The report, which was prepared by engineering consultancy Stantec,  was received by HBC more than two months ago, prior to the local elections in May, but has yet to be presented to the council’s cabinet.

Overgrown and yet to be landscaped, the playing fields.

Cllr Williams, who was elected to represent Ripon at parish and North Yorkshire level, claimed:

“There is a clear attempt to suppress this report and literally kick it into the leisure centre’s long grass.

“But the public has a right to know the full financial consequences, before the successor authority has to deal with the mess of HBC’s incompetent handling of the project from the outset, starting with their decision to build on a site with a known history of ground instability.”

What was promised and what has been delivered?

The £10.2 million contract signed with construction company Willmott Dixon in November 2019, was for delivery of the new pool, a refurbished leisure centre, creation of a children’s playground, landscaping of the site, reinstatement of a football pitch, provision of parking for vehicles and bicycles and installation of electric car charging points.

To date, the pool, children’s playground, parking facilities and charging points, have been delivered, but only the gym on the upper floor of the leisure centre is open, with activities, such as spin classes relocated to the Hugh Ripley Hall.

The agreed completion date for the contract was May 2021, but delays caused by ground instability meant extensive grouting (injection of concrete) had to take place which held up the opening of the pool until March of this year.

Reluctance to release the Stantec report

Following an initial inspection by Stantec of a ‘void’ near the entrance to the leisure centre, discovered during construction work in September 2020, the consultancy was appointed to carry out a detailed investigation of the foundations.

In April, chartered engineer and Ripon resident Stanley Mackintosh, submitted an FOI request to HBC, seeking release of the Stantec report, but despite repeated attempts to obtain a copy, he still awaits their decision on whether or not the report will be released to him.

Escalating costs

Mr Mackintosh, pointed out:

“The known running total for the project as of September 2021, was standing at £14,590,665 and In my opinion, considerable additional monies will be needed to carry out the extremely complex  works.

“This is because the foundations will need to be thickened from 200mm to 750mm, and superstructure modifications will be required to improve the structural stiffness of the building.

“It’s a very costly exercise to carry out under an existing building and even then, long-term sustainability cannot be guaranteed, because of the on-going underground gypsum dissolution that will continue to occur.”

He pointed out:

“Ground instability will be a constant feature in this area of Ripon, as evidenced by the opening up of a sinkhole in February 2018 on the leisure centre car park and the discovery of a further sinkhole close to the centre’s entrance in September 2020.

Chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh, pictured outside the site before the swimming pool opened

“The actual remediation costs will only be known when the findings of the Stantec report are released and I have been attempting, under FOI legislation, to obtain a copy of that report, but the council appears reluctant to let me have it.”

“This stonewalling is a classic case of kicking the can down the road, because the council knows that there will be significant financial implications for council tax payers, long after HBC’s affairs have been taken over by the new North Yorkshire Council next April.”

What does Harrogate Borough Council have to say?

HBC has confirmed that the Stantec report has not been presented to its cabinet members.

A spokesperson, said in a statement:

“The report, and recommendations, will be presented to the meeting of the cabinet in due course.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that the council considers that remedial works that will need to be carried out under the centre are a financially viable proposition.

Asked when the landscaping works and restoration of the football pitch will be carried out, so that children can use the area for recreation once more, the spokesperson didn’t give any specific dates, but said:

“This work will be completed towards the end of the investment project at the leisure and wellbeing centre.”

Read more:

• Ripon pool opening delayed again
• Sinkhole experts urge councillors to consider new site for Ripon pool
• Thumbs up for new Dallamires playground in Ripon

Owners of properties in Bedern Court in Ripon face a demolition bill of at least £75,000 as arguments over a long-standing insurance claim continue.

Three apartments and a house in a block at the 29-unit residential complex were evacuated in October 2020 as sinkhole activity raised fears of a catastrophic collapse.

Bedern Court Ltd (BCL) – a not-for-profit company controlled by owners and leaseholders – is preparing a complaint to send to the insurance ombudsman, but, with the continuing deterioration of the stricken block, is faced with having to find the money to take the building down.

BCL chair, Mat Pritchard, told the Stray Ferret:

“We are already doing everything we can to mitigate the risk and, with time running out, have obtained quotes from four demolition contractors.

“These have come in at £75,000 and upwards and, unfortunately, in the absence of settlement from the insurers, the bill will have to be paid by the owners of the 29 properties.”

In pursuit of its claim, BCL has supplied insurers Aviva and QBE with detailed reports from geologists and a monitoring engineer. But Mr Pritchard pointed out:

“As we have been getting nowhere with the insurance companies, we have sought legal advice and decided to make a formal complaint to the ombudsman.”

He added:

“In addition to our protracted discussions with the insurers, we have kept all authorities updated and have used fencing to shutter off part of the courtyard area as a safety measure.”

Fencing also remains in place to block entry from Skellgaths into Peacock’s Passage, which runs alongside the affected block.

Ripon City Council wrote to North Yorkshire County Council in November calling on it to demolish the block, after city council leader Andrew Williams said:

“If the perilous state of the building means it’s not safe to walk along Peacock’s Passage, it can’t be safe to walk or drive past it on Skellgarths. It needs to be demolished as quickly and safely as possible.”

However, NYCC has said that this matter is not its responsibility and now the city council has written to Harrogate Borough Council asking it to carry out a detailed risk assessment at Bedern Court.

In this article, which is part of a series on the 15 stories in the Harrogate district that shaped 2021, we look at the shake-up of local leisure facilities – and ongoing concerns about safety at the new Ripon pool.

Throughout 2021, Harrogate Borough Council has spoken about its ‘multi-million pound investment’ in leisure developments across the district.

The council certainly has ambitious plans: it has built a new six-lane pool in Ripon, drawn up designs for a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and is also planning a two-storey extension to The Hydro in Harrogate.

It set up a new company, Brimhams Active, this year to run its health and wellbeing facilities.

However, the actual cost of delivering the entire package of projects remains unclear.

Ripon £4m over budget

The new Ripon facility, at Dallamires Lane, will be called the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, in honour of the local Olympic hero. It is scheduled to open next month.

A Freedom of Information request submitted to the council by Ripon resident and chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh showed that it is currently more than £4 million over budget at £14,590,665.

The opening is now due to take place more than seven months later than originally planned. Ripon Spa Baths closed in November, leaving the city without a public swimming pool until the new site opens.

The council also still has to deal with ongoing ground stability concerns affecting the leisure centre adjacent to the Ripon pool.

Following the discovery of a ‘void’ near the entrance to the 26-year-old building, further investigation and remedial works will be carried out in the New Year. The centre’s ground floor will remain closed while the work takes place.

The discovery prompted two sinkhole experts to urge councillors to consider finding an alternative site for the new Ripon leisure centre and pool.

Their comments followed a report by engineering company Stantec, which revealed the site could be permanently plagued by the threat of sinkholes.

When asked about the cost of the remedial work, the council said:

“The costs for the investigation works are not as yet known. Following the investigation works, there will then be assessment of the proposed remediation strategies, together with an assessment of the estimated cost.

“The council would not be able to disclose details of costs until the agreed remedial works are contracted as we view that providing this information may prejudice future commercial negotiations with supply partners.”

The proposed new Knaresborough leisure centre.

New leisure centre in Knaresborough 

The council will consider its own planning application for a new leisure and wellness centre in Knaresborough in 2022, to replace the town’s existing leisure facility.

The proposed new centre will include a six-lane 25-metre pool, a learner pool with flume, sauna and steam room, fitness suite and studio, cafe, electric car charging points, bicycle storage and play area.

Construction could start as early as spring next year and last for 18 months.

Under the plans, the new building would be built on the playground to the rear of the existing pool, which would remain open during the work.

However, local resident David Hull, who launched the ‘Not On Fysche Field’ campaign has criticised the plans over the loss of the existing play park. The council has said it will create a new play park on the site.

Hydro changes

The council is proposing to demolish the current ‘drum’ entrance at The Hydro and replace it with a larger structure that includes a bigger café and reception area on the ground floor and a new 400-square metre fitness suite on the first floor.

Plans also include refurbishing the changing rooms and pool hall. Five electric vehicle charging points will be added.

The Stray Ferret asked the council how much the works will cost, but did not receive a response.

Those championing the schemes have been quick to hail the benefits.