Major pollution at site of new leisure centre

Major pollution at site of new leisure centre

10 December 2014

THE location chosen for Downpatrick’s new multi-million pound leisure centre has been described as “highly polluted.”

The new leisure complex is being built on top of a former council dump in front of the existing facility at Lower Market Street and because of the pollution the proposed construction site has been described as the “best investigated site in Ireland.”

Acutely aware of the pollution issue, Down Council has set up a £1m contingency fund to deal with any problems which may arise when construction work starts on the contaminated ground.

A series of ground condition tests have already been carried out and local politicians have been told that part of the land earmarked for the new leisure centre was contaminated when construction work took place on the new South Eastern Regional College building located next door.

The Environment Agency has requested Down Council, and not the further education college, deals with the issue when contractors move on site next year to build the new leisure centre.

At a recent meeting of the leisure centre’s project board, local politicians were addressed by James Quigg of Quigg Golden who is providing legal support on behalf of Belfast Council to allow Down Council to obtain guidance on the procurement aspects of the new leisure centre, particularly in relation to planning conditions.

Mr. Quigg said the new leisure centre project does not present any “exceptional challenges” and there is nothing of concern from a procurement and project management perspective. He said he is interested in ensuring the new multi-million pound facility is “built for the council promptly.:

Mr. Quigg said tender documents were sent out at the start of the month and are due to be returned by February 1 with the hope that the contract will be awarded by the end of March next year. Construction of the new leisure centre should be completed by the autumn of 2016.

He told councillors there are “environmental challenges and concerns” around the project, suggesting this is understandable given the size of the project.

“The source of contamination results from the underflow from the college and the fact that the site is lying on low ground,” he told the project board, explaining he and council director Marie Ward had attended a “positive meeting” with the Environment Agency which was receptive to progressing the new leisure centre and getting it built.

Mr. Quigg issued a reminder that planning permission for the new leisure centre requires Down Council to carry out necessary investigations, describing the lower Market Street location as “one of the best investigated sites in Ireland.”

He said there are aspects of the ground monitoring that would need to be continued and thoroughly explored, explaining the Environment Agency has clarified that it does not expect Down Council to improve the lower Market Street site, but ensure the conditions do not get worse. Mr. Quigg said the site will be piled and the Environment Agency accepts this needs to happen.

In response to questions from several councillors, Mr. Quigg said given the location of the new leisure centre is a “highly polluted site” pre-conditions, construction conditions and a pollution report required to comply with planning permission are “not exceptional.” He stressed there is nothing at this stage about which he is particularly concerned.

Council director, Michael Lipsett, said consultants who have looked at the issue of contaminated land do not believe the Environment Agency conditions attached to the planning approval “are not unreasonable.”

However, he said the £1m contingency fund may not be enough to resolve all the issues. Mr. Quigg said he believed the £1m the council has set aside “seems sensible.”