DG One leisure centre failings 'unique'

The chairman of the inquiry into construction failings at a flagship leisure centre has said he has never seen so many issues in one project.

Prof John Cole said 90 were found at the DG One site in Dumfries.

He has delivered a string of recommendations on how to avoid any repeat of the situation.

The centre opened in 2008 but was forced to shut permanently six years later for repair work which will cost more than the original construction.

Dumfries and Galloway Council is to examine the contents of the report and look at all lessons to be learned.

'Unfortunate saga'

"I have seen examples of the failings in DG One in many buildings but not the collective of all of those failings in the same building," said Prof Cole.

"It is quite a unique experience in terms of finding this extent of failings in one particular building."

He said the extent of the defects found was "surprisingly wide".

Prof Cole described the story of the project as a "very unfortunate saga".

"Just about everything that could go wrong has happened in this project despite the council's best intentions," he said.

He said the building had not been built to the appropriate standards and the responsibility for that lay with the original contractors Kier.

'Principal problem'

However, he said there was also a responsibility for public bodies to ensure they had adequate resources to check that what was being built met standards required and complied with building regulations.

"Proper, independent scrutiny on the job at the time is the only way that many of these defects would have been discovered," he said.

Council leader Elaine Murray said the report did not make "pleasant reading".

She said it made it clear that the "principal problem" lay with the construction and the contractor.

However, she accepted the council did make a number of mistakes and there were lessons to be learned.

An executive group is be set up to look at the full implications of the report.

Ms Murray added the council would be sending the findings to both the health and safety executive and the police to see if they wished to investigate.