Leaking roof adds £1m to the cost of leisure centre refurbishment

THE COST of upgrading a leisure centre in a Yorkshire city has soared by another £1m after contractors found the roof was leaking.

The discovery means the £8.13m bill for the revamp of Woodford Leisure Centre in Hull will rise to £9.2m.

One of the city’s most popular swimming pools, it closed to the public in September 2016 for work to begin on an extension, which will house a 25-metre sixlane pool and learner pool. The plans also include a new beginners’ pool, new sauna and steam facilities and a café.

A council report says when contractors took over the site on Holderness Road it became apparent “there had been a number of roof leaks”. Further inspections revealed “defective roofing repairs and the significant impact water ingress was having on the fabric of the building”.

The scheme, which is being delivered by Hull-based construction firm Hobson and Porter, is expected to be completed by next April. NHS Hull Clinical Commissioning Group is expected to foot £200,000 of the bill for re-roofing the centre.

The report adds: “The recommendation is that the leisure centre is completely re-roofed including fully glazed rooflights. This is the most appropriate option as it provides like-for-life replacement, but with the advantage of more robust glazing.”

The leisure centre was named after veteran councillor Harry Woodford, the former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott’s political agent, who died last month.

Once reopened, the council has said the centre will be a topclass venue, although it will signal the closure of the nearby East Hull Baths, which opened in 1898.