Bam sorry for delayed Scottish leisure centre

Bam has apologised for “technical issues” that have delayed the opening of a £36m leisure centre in Scotland.

The contractor said it was working on repairs to Blairgowrie Recreation Centre after a second leak was found from its swimming pool.

Bam started work on the scheme in June 2023 and it expected to complete it earlier this year.

However, the opening had to be pushed back after an initial leak was found, only for a second leak to be discovered during testing of repairs to the first one.

Bam UK construction director Paul Carle said: “The new Blairgowrie Recreation Centre will be a fantastic facility for the whole community and we’re disappointed that we have not yet been able to hand over the keys to Perth and Kinross Council.

“The pool is a complex design, and we have been working with specialist contractors to deliver it.

“Unfortunately, there have been technical issues and it’s right that we take time to correct these before it opens to the public. We are sorry for the delay and remain fully focused on getting the repairs undertaken as early as possible.”

Council leader Grant Laing has written to the local authority’s Scrutiny and Performance Committee asking it to undertake a review of the issues leading to the delays.

“It is extremely frustrating that we have had to keep pushing back the opening date while contractors resolve these issues with the pool,” he said.

“Although this is not incurring any cost to the council and we will not accept handover of the building until we are satisfied everything is working properly, we owe it to our residents to learn exactly what caused these issues and if they can be prevented on any future construction projects, here in Perth and Kinross or elsewhere.”

The leisure centre will be built to Passivhaus standards, providing low-energy facilities for community and school use.

It will feature a six-lane swimming pool; a four-court sports hall; a gymnasium; a fitness suite; a dance studio; changing facilities; an office; a PE classroom; and a floodlit synthetic outdoor pitch.