Five-month delay to £36m recreation centre is 'unacceptable'
A council chief has told councillors the five-month delay in opening the new £36m Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is 'not acceptable'.
Contractors are on site attempting to identify where the latest pool leak is as well as considering 'other more radical options'.
The unidentified leak in the six-lane 25-metre swimming pool – which has been built with a movable floor – has further delayed the opening of Scotland's first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards.
The state-of-the-art, low-energy facility has been built for the use of both Blairgowrie High School and the wider community. As well as the pool, it has a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; a fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; an office and a PE classroom, and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch.
At a meeting of PKC's Finance and Resources Committee on Wednesday, April 30, a Blairgowrie and Glens ward councillor asked when locals could finally expect to step foot inside the new sports centre.
Conservative councillor Caroline Shiers said: 'We were heading for a post-Christmas opening and then we were going to go and work off our Easter eggs and now we're looking at maybe it's our summer bodies we'll be working on.
'I think the community has been very very patient and that has been appreciated but an indication of a projected handover and then opening time would be helpful.'
PKC's strategic lead for Property Services Stephen Crawford said: 'My apologies from both my contractors' supply chain and myself for not being able to deliver this on time.
'The pool remains with an unidentified leak. The contractors are currently on site, in the pool, attempting to find the leak but also considering other more radical options.
'A timescale I unfortunately can't give you at the moment. Last Wednesday the Scrutiny [and Performance] Committee asked for a report on the cause of the delay.
'I would say it has been fortuitous that we've had the existing Blair Rec ready during that time but I agree with you five months' delay is not acceptable.'
SNP council leader Grant Laing agreed: 'It is frustrating for us all but it is the right thing to do. You wouldn't go and take a car that had one bald tyre.
'It's the sensible and pragmatic thing to do and I'm sure the contractors will not be enjoying this situation either. It is a good example though of having a tandem build because if we had knocked down Blair Rec and said something would be ready in 18 months, and it ends up being two years that is really when people will get upset.
'But yeah I share your frustration.'
Cllr Shiers asked if local elected members could be updated on the logistics of when the handover and demolition of the old Blairgowrie Rec does eventually take place.
She said: 'When handover does happen and then there will be the demolition of the existing building, my concern is around the logistics around that in terms of making sure the car park facilities for the new facility are available and we don't have any knock-on effect on the wider community by not having that operational. I'm guessing the whole schedule has gone out the window a wee bit with this so an additional briefing with local elected members would be helpful.'
Mr Crawford was 'more than happy' to work with both the local councillors and Blairgowrie community on that.
Councillors have previously been assured, by Mr Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council will not be financially impacted by the delays and that they are 'fully the responsibility of the contractor so they are bearing all those costs'.
Blairgowrie Recreation Centre was originally scheduled to be handed over to Live Active Leisure – to run the facility – at the end of December. At the April 23 meeting of PKC's Scrutiny and Performance Committee, Mr Crawford told councillors that during the filling of the swimming pool 'a number of small leaks' were identified and since then 'a number of other leaks have been found and we've been working through that over the last three months to deal with those'.
In a previous statement, issued by Perth and Kinross Council, BAM UK and Ireland construction director Paul Carle apologised for the delay.
He said: 'The pool is a complex design, and we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it. Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it's right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public.
'We are sorry for the delay and remain fully focussed of getting the repairs undertaken as early as possible.'
While it will be the first energy-efficient leisure centre in Scotland, it is not the first swimming pool with a movable floor. Loch Leven Campus has a movable floor and one is also proposed in Perth's new sports centre, PH2O.
A PKC spokesperson said: 'We are currently working with the contractor to address the issues at the new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre and our Scrutiny and Performance Committee has been asked to investigate the causes of these.
'Movable floors are found in many pools, including at Loch Leven Campus. Full proposals for PH2O will be presented to councillors in June.'
Building work on the replacement Blairgowrie Rec eventually began in June 2023 – after years of delays. Brexit, the COVID pandemic, a drainage issue and market volatility caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have all been blamed for delays to the project.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
11 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
John Swinney in the firing line after allowing education secretary to swerve parliamentary duties DESPITE school crisis
Ministers have faced increased scrutiny over their response to soaring levels of violence in schools NO SHOW John Swinney in the firing line after allowing education secretary to swerve parliamentary duties DESPITE school crisis JOHN Swinney let Jenny Gilruth dodge a grilling on school violence. We can reveal the First Minister signed off the SNP Education Secretary's absence two months before the Holyrood Q&A on the classroom crisis. Advertisement 3 Jenny Gilruth was out campaigning for the SNP 3 First Minister John Swinney MSP at the Scottish Parliament It was scheduled on the same day a 12-year-girl was rushed to hospital after an alleged stabbing at a school in Aberdeen. Ms Gilruth instead posed for a selfie while campaigning in her Mid-Fife and Glenrothes seat. Emails showed parliamentary business minister Jamie Hepburn was also involved her free pass on April 24. Colleague Graeme Dey instead stepped in. Advertisement It was the first education questions for five weeks as MSPs returned from their Easter holidays. Ministers have faced increased scrutiny over their response to soaring levels of violence in schools. There are also concerns about an ongoing funding crisis at top Scottish universities. Last night Tory education spokesman Miles Briggs claimed ministers would 'do anything to avoid being held to account.' Advertisement He added: 'It's scandalous that even John Swinney was in on this, turning a blind eye to his education secretary missing important parliamentary questions to campaign.' A Scottish Government spokesman said: 'Diary commitments meant the Education Secretary was unable to attend portfolio questions. Jenny Gilruth accused of 'playing truant' after her parliament no-show "In line with rules, the Higher Education Minister answered questions.' 3 John Swinney and Jenny Gilruth
The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
May jobs report shows 139,000 jobs were added last month
Before the report's release, economists surveyed by Bloomberg estimated that 125,000 jobs were added last month. Job gains for March and April were revised down by a combined 95,000, portraying a weaker labor market that believed in late winter and early spring. March's total was downgraded from 185,000 to 120,000 and April's, from 177,000 to 147,000. Is the job market good or bad right now? The labor market has held up remarkably well despite the hurdles posed by Trump's economic policies, with employment gains averaging well over 100,000 a month so far this year. But many forecasters reckoned a more pronounced hiring slowdown took shape in May and would intensify in the months ahead. Trump's trade strategy lies at the center of the projected downshift. He paused the high double-digit tariffs he slapped on dozens of countries in April and in May agreed to slash levies on Chinese imports from 145% to a still-elevated 30%. China agreed to broadly similar concessions. But the moves hinge on further U.S. deals with China and other countries. And 25% tariffs remain in effect on all imported cars and many goods from Canada and Mexico. This week, Trump hiked fees on steel and aluminum imports to 50% from 25%. And while a trade court last month struck down many of Trump's tariffs, they remain in effect during an appeal, prolonging the uncertainty for businesses. Economists expect the duties to reignite inflation within a month or two and dampen consumer spending. The costs also have heightened business uncertainty, curtailing hiring and investment. How many federal employees are laid off? The Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency has cut as many as 120,000 federal jobs but many workers have been placed on administrative leave, leaving them on U.S. payrolls pending court cases, Morgan Stanley said in a report. Still, the reductions have started to filter into the jobs numbers. Goldman Sachs estimates federal employment declined by a relatively modest 10,000 in May, adding to the 26,000 government workers that Capital Economics says already have been chopped since February. Are there still immigrants coming to America? Besides toughening enforcement at the southern border, the administration has canceled or declined to renew work permits and other protections for hundreds of thousands of migrants, economist Lydia Boussour of EY-Parthenon wrote in a note to clients. That will likely mean a smaller labor supply that further constrains hiring, especially in industries such as construction and hospitality, she said. Some calendar quirks also could have suppressed employment last month. For technical reasons, a late Easter likely boosted payrolls in April but heralds a lower tally for May as staffing levels returned to normal, Morgan Stanley said. Yet while hiring generally has slowed, other economists figured job growth remained sturdy last month as companies frustrated by labor shortages during the pandemic continued to curtail layoffs. Capital Economics and Barclays both predicted 150,000 jobs gains for May. By the end of the year, however, Barclays believes tariffs, federal layoffs and immigration curbs will slow average monthly job gains to about 75,000.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
Terrifying message sent by ‘Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed
The blackmail message is believed to have included a racist term RANSOM DEMAND Terrifying message sent by 'Chinese hackers' to M&S boss after crippling cyber attack on British retailer is revealed Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) 'CHINESE hackers' allegedly sent a terrifying message to the boss of Marks & Spencer following a crippling cyber-attack on the British retailer. Fraudsters, believed to be from the hacking group DragonForce, are said to have emailed the company's chief executive Stuart Machin and seven other key executives. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 High street retailer Marks & Spencer was hit by a cyber attack over the Easter holiday Credit: Alamy 2 M&S boss Stuart Machin, pictured, along with seven other company executives were emailed by the hackers, believed to be DragonForce Credit: PA The message, written in broken English, was sent on April 23, indicated that M&S was hacked by the ransomware group, although the retailer has not acknowledged this. 'We have marched the ways from China all the way to the UK and have mercilessly raped your company and encrypted all the servers,' the hackers wrote, according to the BBC. 'The dragon wants to speak to you so please head over to [our darknet website].' The link to the darknet shared in the email led to a portal for victims of DragonForce to negotiate a ransom fee. The hackers added: 'Let's get the party started. Message us, we will make this fast and easy for us.' DragonForce's attack during the Easter holiday has been hugely damaging for one of Britain's best-known retailer and is thought to have cost the firm an estimated £300million. After six weeks on from the attack, the retailer is still unable to process online orders. The email was sent to Mr Machin along with seven other top executives, according to the corporation. A racist term is also said to have been included in the blackmail message and also ended with an image of a fire-breathing dragon. Along with installing ransomware in order to cripple M&S's IT system the hackers are also believed to have stolen private data from millions of customers. The £3.50 M&S buy that'll make your whole house smell like a 'boujee candle' Three weeks on from the attack, M&S informed customers that contact details and dates of birth from some shoppers had been obtained by a suspected cyber cartel. M&S also admitted other personal details, including customers' order histories, had also been pilfered by online criminals. Bosses though have stressed that no data relating to shoppers' payment, card details or account passwords had been obtained. It is unclear how many customers have been affected by the data breach. According to the company's full-year results, it had 9.4million active online customers in the year up to March 30. The email apparently sent by DragonForce is thought to have bene sent using the account of an employee from IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), which has provided IT services to the retailer for more than a decade. The Indian IT worker, who is based in London, had an M&S email address but is paid employee of TCS. Timeline of the attack Saturday, April 19: Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Initial reports emerge on social media of problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect services at M&S stores across the UK. Customers experience difficulties collecting online purchases and returning items due to system issues. Monday, April 21: Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Problems with contactless payments and click-and-collect persist. M&S officially acknowledges the "cyber incident" in a statement to the London Stock Exchange. CEO Stuart Machin apologises for the disruption and confirms "minor, temporary changes" to store operations. M&S notifies the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and engages external cybersecurity experts. Tuesday, April 22: Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Disruptions continue. M&S takes further systems offline as part of "proactive management". Wednesday, April 23: Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Despite earlier claims of customer-facing systems returning to normal, M&S continues to adjust operations to maintain security. Contactless payments are initially restored, but other services, including click-and-collect, remain affected. Thursday, April 24: Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Contactless payments and click-and-collect services are still unavailable. Reports surface suggesting the attackers possibly gained access to data in February. Friday, April 25: M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. M&S suspends all online and app orders in the UK and Ireland for clothing and food, although customers can still browse products. This decision leads to a 5% drop in M&S's share price. Monday, April 28: M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. M&S is still unable to process online orders. Around 200 agency workers at the main distribution centre are told to stay home. Tuesday, April 29: Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Information suggests that the hacker group Scattered Spider is likely behind the attack. Shoppers spot empty shelves in selected stores. Tuesday, May 13: M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. M&S revealed that some customer information has been stolen. Wednesday, May 21: The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. The retailer said disruption from the attack is expected to continue through to July. It's thought the worker was among the victims hacked. The company had previously said it is investigating if it was a gateway for the cyber attack. It has since informed the BBC the email was not sent from its system and had nothing to do with the security breach. M&S has declined to comment on the latest revelations. A spokesperson for the company told The Sun Online: 'We cannot comment on details of or speculation on the cyber incident, and we have been advised not to.'
