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Dundee Olympia scrutiny meeting farce as no questions put to architect and engineer

David Haig, head coach of Dundee City Aquatics, outside the Olympia
David Haig, head coach of Dundee City Aquatics, outside the Olympia

A Dundee swim coach says a council committee tasked with investigating the closure of the Olympia centre lacked scrutiny and was simply a “big thumbs up”.

A Dundee City Council architect and an engineer attended to take questions from councillors, but none were put to them during the online scrutiny committee on Wednesday.

The discussion on the crisis-hit leisure centre, which has been closed since October 2021, lasted just over six minutes and Dundee City Aquatics head coach David Haig said he expected far more from it.

More than £6m in public cash will be spent refurbishing the East Whale Lane facility, despite it being just nine years old.

Questions remain over Olympia debacle

Mr Haig said: “It was quick with not a lot of scrutiny going on.

“My thoughts are that surely there should have been questions on specific works that were to be done, and done at the outset, to ascertain progress.

“Plus a crucial factor being to press on timeline, and expected conclusion date.

“All we really got was everything is hunk-dory, and ‘accept what we say’.”

The Olympia swimming pool in Dundee is still shut.

The lack of scrutiny comes despite there still being numerous questions around how the centre was allowed to reach such a state of disrepair and whether a lack of maintenance played a major part.

Question marks also remain around the build quality after documents showed it was deteriorating just weeks after opening.

The council is also yet to comment publicly whether builder Mansell — now part of Balfour Beatty — could be liable for the repairs.

Mr Haig continued: “I felt that the previous scrutiny meeting more or less rubber-stamped decisions made before it, although there were questions.”

“This wasn’t a rubber stamp, more a big thumbs up.”

Work has begun on repairing building

Some of the major issues at the centre include rusted flumes which were still in operation, severely corroded bolts, and significant water leaking into electrical equipment in the plant room.

At the latest meeting, Robin Presswood, the council’s executive director of city development, provided an overview on costs and timescales, some of which was already publicly known.

Tenders to fund the current work were approved on July 6 and commenced on August 15.

Robertson Construction are carrying out the repairs.

Head Coach at Dundee City Aquatics David Haig at Olympia.
David Haig, head coach at Dundee City Aquatics.

Engineer and architect in attendance

Mr Presswood said: “I should say that I’m joined by Gary Brady again, the city engineer who has previously provided advice on materials and structural matters and Rob Pederson, as the chief architect at the council who can supply more information about aspects of the design and the construction.”

Liberal Democrat Councillor, Fraser Macpherson, asked how confident Mr Presswood was about the reopening date and for some reassurance regarding the lifespan of the facility once the refurbishments take place.

Mr Presswood replied: “We previously advised a 60 week timescale from start on site (meaning an October 2023 reopening) and at the present time we do not envisage any slippage on that timescale.”

Olympia is the only major public leisure facility in Dundee.

He continued: “In terms of the longevity of the works…we do envisage that this will be a long-term program of component replacement and maintenance.

“We are taking every measure to try and ensure that there will not be a large-scale, long-term closure again like this.”

Following this Mr Macpherson, acting as committee convener in absence of Labour leader Kevin Keenan, asked if there was any further questions for the council staff members, to which he received no reply.

‘It’s in the public interest’

During the last recess sub-committee in July that Mr Haig refers to, the council’s head of democratic and legal services, Roger Mennie, stated that the local authority’s attempts to ascertain liability cannot be discussed “at a public forum.”

Scottish Labour councillor for Maryfield, Georgia Cruickshank, challenged this at this meeting by asking councillors: “Do we not think it’s in the public interest?”

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