Scottish inquiry urges widespread checks on fire stopping

Aaron Morby 7 years ago
Share

The chairman of the inquiry into construction failings at a flagship leisure centre in Dumfries has urged local authorities to double-check fire stopping on existing and new buildings nearing completion.

Repair and rebuild costs at Dumfries building soar to £18m
Repair and rebuild costs at Dumfries building soar to £18m

Prof John Cole was commissioned by Dumfries and Galloway Council to investigate a catalogue of building failures at the DG One leisure centre.

The centre opened in 2008 at a cost of £17m but was forced to shut permanently six years later for repair work, which will cost more than the original construction project carried out by Kier.

Repair and rebuild contractor McLaughlin and Harvey is now expected to complete the project at an extra cost of £18m in the latter half of 2019.

Cole, who also led the investigation into building failures at Edinburgh’s schools, said the contractor was “unquestionably” responsible for the shoddy work identified in DG One.

The recommendations from his report also raise concerns about the state of the Scottish building market.

In it he states: “It would be inappropriate in considering the failure of the contractor to adequately supervise and inspect the quality of the construction work not to draw parallels with the findings of the 2016-17 Edinburgh Schools Inquiry.

He said among all the identified failures in the construction of DG One there were widespread inadequacies in the structural integrity of the external masonry walls and in the failure to incorporate effectively, or to incorporate at all, essential fire-stopping throughout the building.

“It is the view of the Inquiry that the widespread presence of these same failures in the DG One building lends further support to the finding of the Edinburgh Schools Inquiry that these failures are indicative of systemic problems in the quality of work provided by the construction industry.”

External masonry walls to the main rotunda have been demolished

Investigations uncovered widespread defects in the walls of the building. This necessitated remedial works to walls, and the need to virtually demolish the complete three-storey high walls surrounding the large rotunda.

The inquiry report recommended that local authorities and other interested public-sector organisations cooperate in the production and sharing of a list of those aspects of the construction of new buildings in which defects are seen to frequently occur, such as is the case with external masonry wall construction and fire-stopping.

Finally, Cole writes: “In light of the risk associated with the inadequate installation of fire-stopping, it is recommended that public authorities should undertake appropriately informed inspections of existing buildings and new buildings nearing completion to ensure the adequacy of the fire-stopping installed.”

Latest news

Wates wins fit-out for Manchester First Street Hub

Smartspace arm secures another Government hub deal
18 hours ago

Big trade names dropped in M Group rebrand

Acquisitive group formed from Morrison Utility services in 2016
16 hours ago

Breyer Group files administration notice

Staff hope rival firm could buy assets and save jobs
21 hours ago

Peel Ports reveals winners for £750m framework

18 firms win places on deal: Full list
19 hours ago

Former Severfield director takes helm at Embrace Steel

New CEO Martin Kelly aims to step up expansion of steelwork contractor
21 hours ago

£302m upgrade funding awarded to FE colleges – list

Cash shared out between England’s 179 college groups
21 hours ago

FK Facades thrives but construction arm hit by ISG row

Dispute with failed contractor costs specialist £5.5m
22 hours ago

Galliford Try gets go-ahead for Milton Keynes PRS tower

33-storey tower needs gateway 2 approval before work can start
2 days ago

Small house builders get £150m funding for green homes

Developers will have to meet-up to ten new criteria to benefit from interest rate discounts
21 hours ago

Lendlease Construction renamed Bovis

US private equity firm completes £35m purchase of UK contracting business and rebrands
2 days ago

Breyer Group battles for survival as rivals circle

Housing maintenance firm fights three winding up petitions in a month
2 days ago

Careys facing £2.4m claim by developer over demolition cartel

Giant Hong Kong developer claims it was overcharged on Lots Road Power Station job
2 days ago

Multiplex profit drops a third as revenue rises to £780m

Spate of new orders sets contractor up for three years of work
2 days ago

Galliford Try and Breheny land latest Sizewell C road deals

More infrastructure deals for new nuclear power station
3 days ago

Worker trapped in collapsed septic tank pit

Contractor and director fined after worker suffers multiple fractures
2 days ago

Homes England buys stalled Broad Marsh site

Demolition to finally be completed as developer hunt begins
2 days ago

Vistry go-ahead for 353 homes at Rochester Riverside

Work to start on next phase of Kent town regeneration at end of this year
3 days ago

M&E firm J S Wright collapsed owing £19m

Trade creditors hit for £11.4m by employee-owned Midlands firm
3 days ago

Right to work checks to be extended to self-employed

Government plans crackdown on illegal working and rogue employers
3 days ago

Midlands developer turns to London with £1bn resi schemes trio

SevenCapital plans 1,000 flats in Kensington, Islington and the Isle of Dogs projects
3 days ago

Deck falls off huge scissor lift at Winvic site

Two men seriously injured as platform plunges to the ground
5 days ago

Weston targets Build to Rent with new division

Weston Partnerships signs first deals with asset managers and councils
3 days ago

Bouygues seals deal for £119m Cardiff college campus

Construction to start in June on two new buildings
6 days ago

£140m cash injection to speed-up flood defence schemes

Funding part of £2.65bn investment over the next two years
3 days ago

Bid race starts for £15bn schools framework refresh

DfE throws framework open to more contractors
6 days ago

Berkeley’s £600m Borough Triangle project approved

Controversial scheme features two towers of 38 and 44-storeys
6 days ago

London Mayor calls in blocked 600-bed student scheme

Refused 20-storey London PBSA block may still be built
6 days ago

HG to build 500-bed London Stratford student scheme

Work will start later this year subject to gateway 2 safety approval
6 days ago

Arrest after pedestrian death on construction site

Tragedy during site preparation works for new Wigan car park
6 days ago

British Steel threatens closure of Scunthorpe blast furnaces

Chinese owners say sectional steel and rail supplies will be maintained
7 days ago

Contractor services