Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Probe into Olympia issues
THE closure of Dundee’s Olympia swimming pools and the city council’s multi-millionpound roofing blunder are to be “forensically” examined in a public probe.
The Olympia could be closed until as late as spring 2023 after it was revealed corrosion and issues with lights were discovered.
Around the same time, Dundee City Council was forced to admit a major £4 million blunder that has left hundreds of council houses with sub-standard roofs.
West End councillor Fraser Macpherson says he has now been successful in having the issues laid bare in a Dundee City Council scrutiny committee probe.
Mr Macpherson said: “I have also asked for all documentation including reports, repairs details and all other relevant documents be given to councillors.
“I want these going back to pre-2012 opening in the case of Olympia and 2015 in terms of the change in building standards in the case of roof repairs.”
He added: “There are very serious issues, not just in financial terms, but in inconvenience to the public.
“There is also inconvenience to the tenants and owners affected by the roofing errors and the thousands of local people who use the Olympia swimming facilities – as well as local clubs since the facility will be closed for most of 2022.
“It is also reputationally damaging to the council.”
Mr Macpherson said he wasn’t alone in seeking answers on exactly what errors occurred and when.
He said the scrutiny committee will meet in public, allowing for transparency and for councillors to “drill down” into the detail.
Mr Macpherson added he was looking forward to assessing all the information in a “forensic manner” in the early part of 2022.
Depending on when upgrade work starts and the full extent of repairs, it could be early 2023 before the pools reopen, after it had originally been hoped Olympia would welcome back swimmers in late 2022.
Concerns first arose at the end of September when light fixings at the £32m facility, that only opened eight years ago, became loose.
Although the light did not fall, a decision was taken to shut the pools while these were assessed and repaired.
However, it was then that other issues within the pool area were discovered, including problems with two curtain wall bolt fixings. Managers ordered a buildingwide survey, revealing even more damage.
There are question marks around why the issues have only now been discovered.
This includes surface and superficial corrosion, draining issues and damage to all the flumes.
It is estimated that 45 weeks of work will be required to bring the pools up to standard and this can only begin after the building has been fully assessed and contractors appointed.
MANCHESTER City footballer Benjamin Mendy will spend Christmas in prison after he appeared in court accused of rape by a fourth woman.
Mendy, 27, already facing serious sex offence allegations, was charged with another rape offence relating to a new complainant last week. Reporting restrictions were lifted yesterday when Mendy appeared at Chester Crown Court.