Council to spend £500,000 on pool works

County council leaders will consider proposals to spend £500,000 next week on essential works needed to reopen Hereford Leisure Pool.

The St Martin’s Avenue pool, which is owned by Herefordshire Council but run by Halo Leisure, was flooded in October 2019.

The water damage caused the electricity supply to the on-site water pumps to fail and the site had remained closed while insurance funded works took place to reinstate it.

But this was hampered again in February when flooding extended the damage to the site before the works had concluded.

A council report says the damage to the site is substantial and multi-million insurance settlement works are well underway to put it right.

But some £505,000 will be needed to spend on extra works which are not covered by the insurance claim.

These include an electrical upgrade, fire alarm replacement, lighting and work to the plant room, lightning protection, anti-climb measures for the roof, roof mounted pipework and concrete repairs.

“On site investigations have highlighted a need to spend additional funds on uninsured works to enable a certified building to be re-opened for public use,” the council report reads.

“The works required are not covered by insurance due to the site investigations discovering legacy remedial works that require addressing.

“Due to the nature of the uninsured works required, the council has appointed a quantity surveyor and mechanical and electrical engineer to verify that the works are required, correctly allocated and appropriately costed.

“It would be beneficial to complete the uninsured works at the same time as the insured works to save costs, time and duplication.”

Cabinet members are expected to give their approval of the funding at a meeting next week.

Officers say the exact value is yet to be agreed and while they will try to use existing budgets it is expected that they may have to borrow to pay for the works.

The site is subject to future flooding however a permanent site pump has been agreed by insurers.

A new electrical entry point which is higher than the previous one and a back-up generator socket to the new pump will ensure flood water is effectively pumped outside of the building if it floods in future.

The officers recommend using the on-site contractor to complete the uninsured works needed to reopen the site to the public, which is expected to be before spring next year.