Leisure centre opening delay due to 'soft' road

Jon Whitehouse, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition in Epping, said he was disappointed the opening would be delayed

The opening of a new leisure centre has been delayed by about two months because the entrance road is "too soft", the local council has said.

Epping Forest District Council said the town's leisure centre project would be completed within the next two weeks.

But a spokesperson said the unveiling would be pushed back until January because the subgrade of the entrance via Bakers Lane was not strong enough.

Jon Whitehouse, leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition in Epping, said the delay was frustrating.

"We were hoping to have the leisure centre open for everyone with their new year resolutions, wanting to get fit," he said.

He also questioned why Essex Highways - responsible for maintaining roads in the county - did not discover the issue sooner.

'Unforeseen difficulties'

Plans for the low-carbon leisure centre were first approved by the district council in October 2021.

The council says it will be completed under its budget of £33.1m - although it was originally costed at £25m back in November 2020.

The new centre is home to what will be the town's first public swimming pools, as well as a sports hall, gym studios and squash courts.

Ray Balcombe, the Conservative deputy leader, said: "But as with all the best laid plans, unforeseen difficulties often intervene."

He said he was "delighted and frustrated all at the same time".

"The subgrade of the entrance via Bakers Lane has been found to be too soft. Highways needs to dig deeper and lay additional strengthening material before the roadworks continue," he explained.

"It looks like measures were taken many years ago to compensate, but it did not meet the standards required for today's design and usage levels."

Essex Highways started the work in Bakers Lane in early September

Essex Highways began the roadworks at Bakers Lane on 8 September and it warned at the time that engineers would remain on site up until the end of December.

It confirmed there was a "risk of road failure" at the Bakers Lane entrance because "underlying soil becomes unstable under pressure".

An Essex Highways spokesperson said: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused by this delay and remain committed to completing these works."

The existing Epping Sports Centre - which is a short walk away in Hemnall Street - is due to be demolished and replaced with homes.