Bill to bulldoze Forfar’s Lochside leisure centre jumps £155,000 to more than £650k

The costs associated with getting rid of Forfar’s Lochside leisure centre have jumped by another £155,000.

After a five-year saga, it’s been confirmed the old centre will be demolished after the October school holidays.

It will take five months to knock down and landscape the site.

And councillors have approved an extra £155,000 on top of the £1/2 million originally set aside for the demolition.

Market pricing sends bill soaring

Ten contractors submitted tenders for the project.

In addition to the building’s demolition and clearance, the works include the removal of all asbestos materials and hard landscaping surrounding the condemned building.

Trees will be planted and grassed areas reinstated on the Forfar Loch country park site.

It follows a landmark Court of Session ruling in 2021 which declared the centre and the land it stands on as common good.

The judgement forced Angus Council into a formal community consultation.

But no-one came forward to lease the centre and councillors eventually decided to knock it down.

Delayed for school holidays

Lochside has been closed since the centre was replaced by Forfrar community campus.

Policy and resources committee councillors were updated on the demolition plan on Tuesday.

The decision to wait until after the holidays was taken to avoid closing the adjacent play park during the school break.

It was also aimed at preventing any impact on visitors to the adjacent town caravan park.

“The playpark and three of the four car parks around the leisure centre will be closed so a site compound can be established, while ensuring the safety of the public,” said the council.

Only the ranger centre car park will stay open during the demolition.

And the one-way access road into the old centre will be affected.

It will become two-way from the caravan park entrance to the ranger base.

The road passing the old tennis courts will be closed to everything except site traffic.

It is hoped the playpark and car parking will be re-opened in February.

Landscaping will take place in the spring.

“We would like to thank Forfar residents in advance for their patience and consideration while this work is carried out and would ask them to take time to familiarise themselves with the alternative car parking and playpark options before work gets underway,” the council added.

The demolition news comes days ahead of an auction for another old council leisure facility.

Forfar’s former public baths in The Vennel go under the hammer on Thursday with a guide price of £50k.