Central Beds Council denies reports that 'wrong adhesive' was used in swimming pool of Dunstable Leisure Centre

Delays to the swimming pool of the new £20.1m Dunstable Leisure Centre could be as much as six months, after problems were found with its tiling.
By Stewart Carr
Published 1st Feb 2019, 10:27 BST
Updated 7th Feb 2019, 22:01 BST
The new centre has cost 20.1mThe new centre has cost 20.1m
The new centre has cost 20.1m

Contractors must re-tile the entire swimming pool area, with further quality assurance checks before it can open. The rest of the leisure centre is scheduled to open to the public in May.Central Bedfordshire Council has denied online reports that the wrong adhesive was used, but admits there are problems with one of the adhesive layers.A CBC spokesman said: “The shell of the new Dunstable Centre building is now largely complete: the new library, health and fitness suite, new group exercise studios, sports hall, squash courts, café, day care accommodation and offices for Citizen’s Advice are all taking shape, and we are planning to open these facilities in May. “Unfortunately, we are sorry to inform customers that the swimming pools will not be available for use at the same time as the rest of the facilities, and potentially for up to 6 months after the rest of the building is opened in May. This is because our quality assurance checks have identified a problem with the new tiling in the pool area. “Clearly this is very frustrating, and whilst we are looking at every possible option to improve on this forecast delay, it is important that we investigate the tiling issues thoroughly and properly resolve them with the building contractor. “However, you will appreciate that we would not want to let this hold up opening the new library, sports hall, health and fitness suite, studios, day care, citizen’s advice suite and café, for our customers to start enjoying.“Our leisure operator, SLL, has contacted customers who have already signed up for a membership and is ensuring that the cost and structure of membership reflects the delay to the swimming pools.” Anyone with membership queries is advised to contact SLL at [email protected].