By Kathryn Anderson

Copyright dailyrecord

The old Blairgowrie Recreation Centre’s demolition has been delayed by six months due to issues with the £36 million new centre’s leaking pool not being completely resolved. A Perth and Kinross Council report into the 34-week delay opening the new leisure centre has revealed there is still water seeping into its technical room. The water ingress is thought to be residual but the old recreation centre is being kept up for six months so it can reopen if there does turn out to be an ongoing defect in the new centre. Councillors have been told the cost is being borne by HubCo. Blairgowrie Recreation Centre has already had several issues since it belatedly opened to the public on August 29. On September 3, the pool hoist was temporarily out of action “due to a technical issue” which was fixed later the following day. On September 6 its phone lines were temporarily unavailable “due to scheduled maintenance”. On September 8 the swimming pool was temporarily closed due to an issue with heating the water. And on September 12 the whole venue was closed all day due to issues with the building’s water supply. Blairgowrie Recreation Centre was originally scheduled to be completed by December 16, 2024. The complex Passivhaus design project was delivered through Hub East Central Scotland (Hub) with BAM Construction being the main contractor. However, a series of leaks and faults led to the long-awaited new leisure centre’s completion being delayed by 34 weeks. Council leader Grant Laing described the series of delays as “extremely frustrating”. Earlier this year he asked PKC’s Scrutiny and Performance Committee to undertake a review of the issues causing the delay. The report on that review has now been completed and will go before the committee on Wednesday, September 17. The report by PKC’s head of Property Services Stephen Crawford – who is retiring on October 3 – and PKC architect and project manager Robert Meiklejohn highlighted three main reasons for the delay in opening the new centre. The issues blamed for the delay are: A detailed timeline reveals leaks were first discovered on November 8, 2024. The initial leaks came from “three pin-sized holes in the liner”, which were subsequently repaired but “the origin of these holes was unknown”. The report continues: “BAM later found overflow from the balance tank as a contributing factor to the water ingress. The pool was refilled and watched, with no immediate recurrence of leaks.” Just 12 days after the holes in the pool liner were discovered, PKC’s Property Services chief Stephen Crawford told the council’s Finance and Resources Committee “the project remains on programme”. However, the committee was also told the opening was being delayed from December to January to avoid disruption to Blairgowrie High School’s prelim timetable. The school used the building as an exam venue before and after the Christmas holidays. According to the scrutiny report, more issues were discovered only around a fortnight after the November 20 Finance and Resources Committee meeting. The report states: “In early December, PKC reported continued water seeping into the lower level technical room. Testing indicated residual water seepage rather than active leakage. On 4 December, a loose panel on the hinged boom caused a tear in the liner, which required the pool to be emptied in order to carry out the repair. Refilling resumed over the Christmas period.” On January 6, 2025, there was flooding “due to a plant room pump failure, causing the balance tank to overflow”. In February, a leak was discovered in the pool recirculation pipework caused by a fractured elbow joint and a further failed seal near the shallow end of the pool. In March “a number” of leaks were found in the liner resulting in water pooling into the basement technical room. In April yet another hole was found in the liner near the moveable floor and “further liner damage was discovered during bracket repairs” and “a leak in the shallow end was traced to a lapping detail”. In May, water pooling in the technical room was attributed to residual water. However, “increased chemical readings later showed a new leak” and “vacuum testing revealed a number of very minor penetrations”. The report continues: “By June, the pool was filled above the shallow end. Damp patches persisted, but chemical tests showed no pool water presence.” In late June a non-return valve failed in the plant room, causing the balance tank to overflow. In July, the sump pumps failed. And, in addition to all the construction issues which were repaired, there were delays caused by connecting the building management system to the corporate IT network due to workers either being on holiday or working on other projects such as Perth High School. By mid-July, there was still water seeping into the technical room but inspections confirmed it “was residual water from historic leaks and daily monitoring showed this reducing to a small level”. On August 11, practical completion was achieved “monitoring this water seepage in the technical room”. As a result of there still being water in the technical room the demolition of the existing centre has been delayed for six months “to mitigate the risk should it transpire that the seepage is not from residual water but is symptomatic of an ongoing defect”. The report states: “This cost is being borne by HubCo. This additional six-month period will allow PKC to be confident that the technical issues are addressed, and the pool is operating to the contract specification. Worst case scenario, this provides a contingency should further significant works be required, thus ensuring continuity of service provision.” Councillors have been assured that the “majority of defects and snags” were resolved prior to the building’s handover “and the project is showing signs of operational stability”. PKC’s Scrutiny and Performance Committee will analyse the report on Wednesday, September 17.