Council to probe further delays to new £36m leisure centre
The new centre will be Scotland's first leisure centre built to environmentally-friendly Passivhaus standards, providing state-of-the-art, low-energy facilities for community and school use.
It has a six-lane 25m swimming pool; a four-court sports hall; two-court sports hall/gymnasium; fitness suite; dance studio; several different changing facilities; office; a PE classroom as well as a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch.
Construction on the long-awaited new centre began in June 2023.
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After the initial leak was repaired, further testing was carried out which revealed a second, minor, leak in the pool. Contractors are working to resolve this issue before an opening date for the new centre is announced.
Council leader Councillor Grant Laing has now written to independent councillor Colin Stewart, convener of Perth and Kinross Council's Scrutiny and Performance Committee, to undertake a review of the issues that have led to the delays.
Councillor Laing said: "We are all looking forward to Blairgowrie Recreation Centre opening.
"However, it is extremely frustrating that we have had to keep pushing back the opening date while contractors resolve these issues with the pool.
"Although this is not incurring any cost to the Council and we will not accept handover of the building until we are satisfied everything is working properly, we owe it to our residents to learn exactly what caused these issues and if they can be prevented on any future construction projects, here in Perth and Kinross or elsewhere."
The leak had been traced to an area around the movable floor equipment in the pool.
The pool has been drained to allow all fixing and seals to be tested and to carry out repairs before the Council accepts handover of the building.
Stephen Crawford, Perth and Kinross Council's Strategic Lead for Property Services, said: "Blairgowrie Recreation Centre is a hugely important facility for our residents in Eastern Perthshire and we want the building to be in perfect condition before it opens.
"We are all disappointed at this additional delay. Our contractors are working hard to ensure there are no faults in the building before it is handed over to Perth and Kinross Council and we can make preparations for opening day."
Paul Carle, Construction Director with BAM UK and Ireland, said: "The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will be fantastic facility for the whole community and we're disappointed that we have not yet been able to hand over the keys to Perth and Kinross Council.
"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."
The existing Recreation Centre remains open and will be used as the venue for this year's SQA exams.
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