To receive an update and summary of progress of Braywick Leisure Centre.

Kevin Mist, Communities Project Lead, introduced Graham Clarkson to the Panel as the Development Manager for BLC.

Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that the planned completion date was due to be the end of August 2020 and the handover date would be 14 September 2020 and then the trial operation would follow. At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, even with the restrictions, work had continued whilst social distancing.

There had been some delays due to Covid-19 due to staff being furloughed and no deliveries arriving from other countries.

Graham Clarkson gave the Panel an in-depth account of each area of the leisure centre, this included:

·         The flooring in the sports hall was complete.

·         The permanent lighting was all live and aiding the completion of the finishing and decoration.

·         The heat and power unit had been brought over from the Magnet Leisure Centre and was currently being tested.

·         The courts were underway and the fencing had been erected and the floodlights were in.

·         The flooring in the gym was complete.

·         The operational staff from the Magnet Leisure Centre had started to move across.

·         The quality of the build, detailing and finishing was very good.

Graham Clarkson went through the risks of the project. These included:

·         The full impact of COVID19 effecting the delivery of materials and components from outside the UK and the productivity of the workforce due to the 2m social distancing laws is still yet to be determined.

·         Furniture, Fittings and Equipment and Direct Client contracts, to ensure these dovetail in the building programme.   

·         Disposal of excess site material currently stock piled within the eastern section of the Braywick Park, behind the construction site. Disposal plans have not yet been agreed and finalised. Quotation for disposal is expected in the next few weeks.

The next steps of the project included the finishing and then the training of staff.

Councillor Del Campo expressed her concern as the update was an overview and therefore could not be scrutinised. Councillor Del Campo would have like to see project charts, cost mitigation and further details of the project itself in order to be able to scrutinise it. Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that there were Gant charts and these could be shared with the Panel. The impact of Covid-19 was still unravelling so it was difficult to get figures for this at the current time.

David Scott advised the Panel that this item was a standing item on the agenda, further detail could be provided at the next Panel meeting. David Scott continued that Waites had only closed for three days since Covid-19 and as a contractor had done really well. There had been a disruption to the supplies but Waites had worked hard to mitigate issues.

ACTION: To provide further detail on the project at the next meeting.

Councillor Price asked for confirmation if there was a two week delay and Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that the completion of the project and the opening currently had two dates. Government were still to confirm the regulations of the opening of leisure centres.

Councillor Rayner thanked Graham Clarkson as the Braywick Leisure Centre was looking stunning and the designs had all come to fruition. The project had been conceived in 2016.

Councillor GreKevin Mist, Communities Project Lead, introduced Graham Clarkson to the Panel as the Development Manager for BLC.

Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that the planned completion date was due to be the end of August 2020 and the handover date would be 14 September 2020 and then the trial operation would follow. At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak, even with the restrictions, work had continued whilst social distancing.

There had been some delays due to Covid-19 due to staff being furloughed and no deliveries arriving from other countries.

Graham Clarkson gave the Panel an in-depth account of each area of the leisure centre, this included:

·         The flooring in the sports hall was complete.

·         The permanent lighting was all live and aiding the completion of the finishing and decoration.

·         The heat and power unit had been been installed was currently being tested.

·         The outdoor courts were underway and the fencing had been erected and the floodlights were in.

·         The flooring in the gym was complete.

·         The operational staff from the Magnet Leisure Centre had started familiarisation visits .

·         The quality of the build, detailing and finishing was very good.

Graham Clarkson went through the risks of the project. These included:

·         The full impact of COVID19 effecting the delivery of materials and components from outside the UK and the productivity of the workforce due to the 2m social distancing requirments is still yet to be determined.

·         Furniture, Fittings and Equipment and Direct Client contracts, to ensure these dovetail in the building programme.   

·         Disposal of excess site material currently stock piled within the eastern section of the Braywick Park, behind the construction site. Disposal plans have not yet been agreed and finalised. Quotation for disposal is expected in the next few weeks.

The next steps of the project included the finishing and then the training of staff.

Councillor Del Campo expressed her concern as the update was an overview and therefore could not be scrutinised. Councillor Del Campo would have liked to see project charts, cost mitigation and further details of the project itself in order to be able to scrutinise it. Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that there were Gant charts and these could be shared with the Panel. The impact of Covid-19 was still unravelling so it was difficult to get figures for this at the current time.

David Scott advised the Panel that this item was a standing item on the agenda, further detail could be provided at the next Panel meeting. David Scott continued that Wates had only closed for three days since Covid-19 and as a contractor had done really well. There had been a disruption to the supplies but Wates had worked hard to mitigate issues.

ACTION: To provide further detail on the project at the next meeting.

Councillor Price asked for confirmation if there was a two week delay and Graham Clarkson informed the Panel that the completion of the project and the opening currently had two dates. Government were still to confirm the regulations of the opening of leisure centres.

Councillor Rayner thanked Graham Clarkson as the Braywick Leisure Centre was looking stunning and the designs had all come to fruition. The project had been conceived in 2016.

Councillor Greg Jones joined the meeting.