Wakeboard park opening delayed

A NEW watersports park set to come to Dundee will miss the peak season because of delays in construction.

Foxlake Adventures had hoped to open its cable wakeboarding centre in City Quay in July but bosses have told the Tele the centre is now likely to open in August.

James Barbour, director at the firm, said the decision to delay the opening was “disappointing”.

He said: “It’s the end of the season, which is disappointing, but it just means this year is about finding our feet. We’ll get up and running now and we’ll hit the ground running next year.”

The centre is being constructed in partnership with Dundee City Council, with the local authority building the on-site cabins, as well as carrying out work on the adjacent road.

It is believed that council work on the site is to blame for the delays.

A spokeswoman for the council said: “We are progressing with the site as quickly as possible.”

Mr Barbour added: “It would’ve been great to open in July but what we have heard from the council getting its part of the site constructed — that is not going to happen.”

However, he said that the potential to keep the site open all year round in the city’s warm saltwater meant all was not lost for 2017.

He said: “We’re still looking at running right the year through. It’s more hardcore wakeboarders that will get in the water but similar sites operate all year.”

The firm carried out interviews in Dundee last week, interviewing 20 candidates for up to seven positions, a mix of full and part-time jobs.

Mr Barbour said the interview candidates had been a “good mix” of both experienced and inexperienced people from across Dundee.

He said: “We actually quite like people that don’t have previous experience. We have a really comprehensive training programme and we can turn new staff into really good coaches. It’s arduous and there’s a lot of work to do but we were always looking for a good mix.”

Since the centre was approved, a number of objectors have raised concerns, including the Apex Hotel, which has put plans for a boutique hotel inside the old Custom House on hold to assess the impact the site will have.

Mr Barbour said that he would continue to work with objectors to ensure the site is there for all to enjoy.

He said: “We know we have to work with the community and get them on side — it’s not in our best interests to rub people up the wrong way.”

An artist’s impression of the wakeboarding centre set to open later this year. The launch date of the facility has been pushed back a month.