Olympia Report

AN INDEPENDENT investigation into a second closure of Dundee’s showpiece swimming and leisure centre has found that it was not due to lack of previous maintenance work and could not have been anticipated.
Edinburgh-based independent law firm Burness Paull was commissioned earlier this year to carry out the “thorough and rigorous” probe into the Olympia.
Among six key findings the report notes: “The original scope of capital works was sufficiently comprehensive to ensure that all works identified following the closure in 2021 were addressed during the 2023/24 closure”.
It also states: “Any additional works would not be arising due to an insufficient scope of works but rather due to the very nature of carrying out works on a refurbished building”.
The report on the closure of the Olympia Swimming and Leisure Centre in 2024 following £6.1m of capital investment by Dundee City Council will be considered by councillors next week.
Mark Flynn convener of the council’s city governance committee said: “This independent investigation into the closure of the Olympia was commissioned so that the key issues could be identified and to find out what actions, if any, could have prevented the situation.
“It reveals a complex picture but is clear and concise in saying that the work the council did after spending £6.1m was brought forward because of the opportunity to do it while the Olympia was closed, to save a future closure.
“I am satisfied that Olympia remains a safe, high-quality environment for users and that the management and planned maintenance of the facility strengthen its long-term reliability.”
Four other key question were set out by the council for investigators. These were: 
Were the works required to the flume pipework and support reasonably foreseeable at the time the recent capital works were instructed?; 
Why were the recommendations of environmental health regarding safety barriers at the dive boards not actioned at an earlier date?; 
What were the causes of the dosing system not operating as expected when the Olympia reopened?; and 
What impact (if any) did the working relationship between Dundee City Council as building owner and Leisure and Culture Dundee (LACD) as building manager have on the causes and length of the recent closure? 
It notes that: 
the works needed on the flume pipework and support were not reasonably foreseeable; 
factors including temporary measures being seen as the best balance of minimising the operational risk while a permanent solution was found and the pandemic led to the recommendations of Environmental Health regarding safety barriers at the dive boards not being actioned earlier; 
the dosing system did not operate as expected because new equipment took time to bed in, could only be tested in a “live” scenario and due to the highly complex and interrelated nature of pool systems; and 
the working relationship between the council and LACD did not prolong the project. 
The city governance committee is being asked to note and scrutinise the report at its meeting on Monday (September 22). and to remit it the council’s scrutiny committee for further consideration.