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Petition calls for inquiry into crisis-hit Dundee Olympia as fresh repairs needed weeks after re-opening

The city's flagship leisure centre has been plagued with problems since its opening in 2013.

The exterior of The Olympia Swimming Pool.
The Olympia Swimming Pool. Kim Cessford/DC Thomson

A petition has been launched calling for inquiry into Dundee’s crisis-hit Olympia centre after it was revealed yet more repairs are needed.

The city’s flagship leisure centre has been plagued with problems since its opening in 2013.

It was initially closed in October 2021 after an issue with a light fitting was discovered.

However more problems were subsequently found – including corrosion on the flumes – and it remained shut for more than two years whilst £6m worth of repairs were carried out.

The centre eventually re-opened in December but less than two months on more repairs are needed after a metal rod fell from the roof, narrowly missing swimmers.

Facility ‘funded by hard-earned tax money’

The latest debacle has sparked fury from some Dundonians, who say the public deserve to know how public funds are being used.

Writing in the petition, Ewan MacGowan said: “As a concerned citizen of Dundee, I am deeply troubled by the ongoing issues at Olympia Leisure Centre.

“This facility, funded by our hard-earned tax money, has been closed for two years.

“Upon its recent reopening, we were shocked to find that two pools have been shut down with no clear explanation provided.

Pools closed at Olympia
The Olympia in Dundee only re-opened in December. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

“We deserve to know how our public funds are being used and why facilities that should be available for public use remain inaccessible.

“We call on Dundee City Councillors to launch an immediate inquiry into what has transpired at Olympia Leisure Centre over the past few years.”

Michael Marra – North East Scotland MSP for Scottish Labour – has previously called for a public inquiry into the issues at the Olympia.

He raised a question in Holyrood a year ago, saying the people of Dundee had been “badly failed” by the council administration.

However his calls were rejected by the then minister for local government, housing and planning Ben Macpherson, who said it was for Dundee City Council to address.

Information ‘publicly available’

A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “Since the issues with the building at Olympia were first discovered in 2021, a number of reports have been considered by various council committees.

“These have focussed on different aspects of the situation, including providing information on the background to the need for closure and a number of progress reports on the maintenance programme which was completed late last year.

“These reports are publicly available on the council’s website and provide a detailed background and narrative on the initial, historical and unfolding situation at Olympia. Each of these reports was considered in public and all were subject to intense scrutiny by elected members.

“Work is going on at the building to ensure that the pool area currently out of operation will be reopened to the public as soon as possible”

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