An additional £1m of funding for repairs at a much delayed leisure centre in Tuebrook will be signed off next week.
Liverpool Council ’s cabinet will rubber stamp the cash to refurbish the roof and complete internal works at Peter Lloyd Leisure Centre. Around £150,000 will be used to replace the existing roof after water got into the building and “constant vandalism”.
A further £850,000 is needed to repair the inside of the site after it was damaged as a result. It is expected work will be completed in August at the location that has been hit with considerable delays.
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The report to cabinet revealed that prior to March 2020, temporary repair works were funded from the council’s repair and maintenance budget, at a cost of £22,000, to reduce the water entering the building. Temporary protection was installed to minimise water getting in but it was not possible to make it fully waterproof.
It added: “Given the continued vandalism, age and type of roof construction, the roof has deteriorated rapidly and is beyond repair. As a result water has continued to enter the building thus damaging the sports hall floor, gym floor and fabric of the building.”
Changes will also be made to existing gym equipment and changing rooms to bring them up to standard with other Lifestyles centres. The local authority’s executive team will approve the cash when it meets at the Town Hall next Friday.
It was revealed earlier this year that the site is slated to reopen in September, a full year later than billed. The Lifestyles centre on Bankfield Road had been expected to open in the Autumn of last year before Cllr Harry Doyle, cabinet member for culture and visitor economy, confirmed complications had arisen with the works, resulting in a further set back.
The pacing of the project has even attracted criticism from Mayor Joanne Anderson, who said progress in Tuebrook had not been good enough. Cllr Doyle revealed his shock at the condition the popular centre is in after being closed since the coronavirus pandemic began.
On a walkaround of the site, he said: “I myself am really shocked by what I’ve seen. The hall in here, the floor’s not even, there’s more water in the hall than there is in the pool, but we’re investing in bringing this centre up to scratch.”
Capital investment of £500,000 has already been invested into the site by Liverpool Council which Cllr Doyle had previously said underlined the local authority’s commitment to Peter Lloyd.
