Storms and virus bring new delays for Moorways
BUT CITY’S NEW POOL STILL EXPECTED TO HIT £42M BUDGET
STORMS and the coronavirus pandemic have combined to delay the new Moorways swimming pool.
Instead of being completed at the end of 2021, it is now set to finish in spring 2022. Hoardings at the site still say it will be finished and open in 2020.
However, the project is still on target to stay within its £42 million budget, according to Claire Davenport, Derby City Council’s director of leisure, culture and tourism.
A new delay was revealed at a virtual council meeting last night.
STORMS earlier this year and the coronavirus pandemic have combined to affect the completion date for the new Moorways swimming complex.
A virtual meeting of Derby City Council’s regeneration and housing scrutiny board heard that instead of being completed at the end of 2021, it is now scheduled to be finished in spring 2022.
But the £42 million budget for the project is still on track, according to Claire Davenport, the council’s director of leisure, culture and tourism.
Together with Wayne Sills, area leisure centre manager, the pair had been invited to give e a presentation on the project ject to the board.
Work started on the project in Feb- ruary this year, but Ms Davenport said that storms caused flooding and affected ground conditions at an early stage.
She said: “This his contributed to the contractor Bowmer and nd Kirkland not being able e to get on with the groundworks.”
She also conceded when questioned by board chair Councillor Sarah Russell that some delay had been caused by the national lockdown as part of the coronavirus pandemic, but denied the delay had caused the budget to be exceeded.
Ms Davenport said: “These factors resulted in a slowing down of the project and during the lockdown th there could not be as many people on site. “Bu “But we are still on target targ financially and the delays are wrapped up in the t budget as a contingency, which is around £2 million or 5% of the budget. “We are currently forecast to break even, but there is still 18 months of the contract to go, but despite the challenges of 2020 we are not overspent at this time.”
Mr Sills told the board that currently there are around 100 people working on the site and that the construction of the main access road was complete, the main road and car park were due to be surfaced and work on the 50 metre pool is under way.
He said: “We have been lucky to continue on site as well as we have. Had we been further down the project and doing more indoor work, then Covid-19 restrictions would have more impact on the schedule. We have achieved a lot on the site in a short space of time.”
Councillor Joanna West wanted to know why the project was now due for completion in spring 2022, when there were hoardings around the site saying it would be finished and open in 2020.
Ms Davenport said: “The project was redesigned and this led to an increase in cost and also a change of completion date to the end of 2021.”
When completed, the Moorways Sports Village, as it is called, will also have a learner pool, water park, gyms and fitness studios, soft play area, meeting rooms and a café.
The pool will feature England’s first WOW wave ball, two four-storey flumes, a wave rider and seating for 450 spectators, as well as for 300 competitors.
The 10-lane 50m x 25m pool can be divided into three 25m pools if needed using moving floors and walls.