Dollan Aqua Centre upgrade hit by further delays

Feb 17 2010 by Graham Mann, East Kilbride News

THE upgrade of the Dollan Aqua Centre, one of the key venues for the forthcoming International Children’s Games, has been hit by yet further delays.

When the iconic leisure facility closed for extensive repairs in October 2008 it was expected to re-open 14 months later.

But by the time the centre is back in action some time next year it will have been closed for well over two years at a final cost expected to be over £6 million.

The grade A-listed building was due to open again at the end of this year but progress on the major upgrading has stalled over recent months due to the cold weather.

Now the News can reveal that the work will not be finished until early in 2011.

This week a spokeswomen for South Lanarkshire Council was not able to give specific details about when the centre will re-open but she did confirm that there had been “some slippage” in relation to scheduled completion date of December, “due to bad weather”.

She said that the council are currently waiting on an updated programme from the contractors, Clark Contracts Ltd but she insisted the centre will be ready well in advance of the Games.

The project was originally expected to take 14 months but unforseen problems with asbestos delayed the project for a further 12 months.

As part of the initial work, an asbestos survey revealed asbestos contamination in duct areas which had to be subject to a complex asbestos removal and environmental clean.

The Dollan centre, one of only five 50 metre competition pools in Scotland, is one of the key venues for the Children’s Games in Lanarkshire which begin in August 2011.

Meanwhile, South Lanarkshire Leisure (SLL), the limited company responsible for operating the council's leisure facilities, had their business plan for 2010/11 approved at yesterday’s community resources committee.

Statistics contained in the plan show that attendance at the local authority’s indoor pools fell by 12 percent in 2008/09 compared to the previous year.

Councillors heard that this is in large part due to the closure of the Dollan and on-going maintenance work at facilities in Larkhall and Carluke.

The document also warns that the growth in private sector facilities throughout South Lanarkshire, combined with the closure of the Dollan, could have an adverse effect on the provision of SLL facilities.

In relation to the Playsport development SLL’s business plan states: “Although it’s not clear when the full development will open to the public, the opening of this new development could potentially have an adverse affect on South Lanarkshire Leisure’s facilities.

“Compounded by the current closure of the Dollan Aqua Centre this additional choice of high quality leisure facilities could potentially have an adverse effect on the indoor and outdoor facilities provided by SLL in not only the immediate East Kilbride area, but also in the Hamilton and Rutherglen/Cambuslang areas.”

It goes on to say that private sector fees, which were traditionally higher than those in the public sector, have, over the last 12 months, become “comparable” or in some cases “actually less than public sector costs”.

SLL was established in April 2002 to manage and operate sports and recreation services on behalf of SLC.

The business plan, which was approved at yesterday’s meeting, identified a funding requirement of just over £9.7million including income received directly by SLL for the annual inflationary increase on sales, fees and charges.