The Olympia swimming pools in Dundee are set to stay shut until October 2023 for major repairs, it can be revealed.
The cost of carrying out the work has also spiralled above £6 million according to new documents seen by The Courier.
The pools shut last October after a lighting issue was identified, but much more significant work is now needed at the facility.
Just seven months ago Dundee City Council said the repairs would take an estimated 45 weeks and cost up to £4.5m – with hopes to reopen the pools in late 2022.
Cost rises by £1.6m as work to take 64 weeks
But the cost has already risen by £1.6m – while the work will now take 64 weeks to complete, once it gets under way.
If the work lasts until the new estimated date of October 2023, it means the pools will have been shut for two years by that point.
And taking into account the year-long closure during Covid-19, the building will have spent nearly a third of its life so far closed to swimmers.
The scale of the 64-week project is reflected in the fact that the original construction programme in 2011-2013 was slated to take 80 weeks – just 16 weeks longer.
Dundee councillors will convene a special meeting next Wednesday to discuss and approve the work, with hopes that contractors will be on site by August.
Robertson Construction Tayside is set to oversee the work at the facility, which is run by Leisure and Culture Dundee.
A new report, which is not yet public, reveals the full extent of work needed on the building – where issues were identified just weeks after it opened in 2013.
That incudes flooding in the plant room – a problem that has persisted since the Olympia was built – and corrosion to fittings.
In total, 39 areas have been identified for repairs or upgrades.
Brexit, Covid and Ukraine war blamed for rising costs
Council property chief Neil Martin and city development boss Robin Presswood are behind the latest report, which blames various factors on the rising costs.
The report says: “The 2022-27 capital plan, agreed by the council in January 2022, included £4.5m for works at Olympia.
“However, priced tenders, reflecting the current market in the context of Brexit, post pandemic demand and the war in Ukraine, mean that the works will cost [£1.614m] more than has been provided in the capital plan.”
That increase takes the final figure to £6.1m.
Meanwhile, the report says “staff and labour resource” issues have proven “challenging” in the last six months – hence a delay in approving the work.
It says: “Due to worldwide events, securing raw materials, components and labour is causing significant uncertainty for the supply chain when pricing tenders.
“As a consequence, combining work packages into a consolidated tender necessitates increased timescales to present this tender to committee.”
Olympia cleaning regimes to be reviewed
Councillors will be asked to approve the extra funds needed for the work next week – and to agree that the pools remain shut until all the repairs are completed.
However, council chiefs say they will work with Robertson Construction to “explore options… to alter the sequence of site operations and reduce the overall programme” – potentially bringing forward the reopening date.
Addressing the repairs to be carried out, it states: “The works will include the full dismantling and refurbishment of the [flumes] structure, stair and platform, to allow treatment of the superficial surface corrosion and applying new protection to each component.”
It also says that “current operational measures and cleaning regimes will be reviewed and developed” to ensure the pool is maintained properly – with plans for regular but shorter routine closures in the years ahead.
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