A senior Harrogate councillor has defended building a new swimming pool in Ripon on the Dallamires Lane site in the city amid concerns over ground stability.

The Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre, which includes the new pool, opened in January this year.

However, ground stabilisation works, which are set to cost Harrogate Borough Council £3.5 million, have delayed plans to open the gym and exercise studio on the site.

The work comes after underground voids were discovered beneath the older half of the site which was built in 1995.

At a meeting of the full council on Wednesday, Cllr Pauline McHardy, who represents Ripon minister ward, asked Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, whether he felt the pool should have been built elsewhere.

She said:

“When this council moves and we go under a unitary, we’re left with a swimming pool that is not stable and could be gone tomorrow.

“My question to you is don’t you think that, instead of spending all this money trying to bodge it up, it would have been find another site and built a completely new one that was suitable for Ripon and its future?”

Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough Council.

However, Cllr Lumley defended the decision to built the pool on the Dallamires Lane site and said the pool was “state of the art” and “way better” than the previous facility.

Cllr Lumley said:

“We decided to build there because it makes absolute sense to have the wet side and the dry side together under one roof, under one management and under one set of staff.

“That’s been proven at other sites around the district and that’s the model that we chose to go forward with as a council.”

He added that he could not agree with “accusations” over instability at the facility.

Temporary gym delayed

Stabilisation works at the site come as a £300,000 temporary gym planned for the centre has been delayed until the New Year.

The gym – which will be situated in the car park next to the main entrance – is due to be in place while work is carried out.

The need for ground stabilisation works follows the discovery of a void under part of the existing leisure centre understood to have been present for a number of years.

Read more:

• Delayed opening for temporary gym at Ripon leisure centre
• Ripon Leisure Centre ground works will cost £3.5 million

It was discovered when the reinforced concrete slab for the new swimming pool was cast.

The temporary gym will include equipment currently available in the existing leisure and wellness centre and expert advice and guidance will be provided by members of the Brimhams Active team.

Customers will be able to use the changing and shower facilities in the new pool area – as well as the sauna and steam suite – which opened in March and group exercise classes will also continue to be provided at Hugh Ripley Hall.

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.”

Read more:

• Swimming club ‘mortified’after Harrogate council hikes fee for new pool
• Ripon council leader calls swimming club price hike ‘disgusting’

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.