A fed-up Dumbarton councillor has written to Scottish Water over delays connecting the new Posties Park Sports Hub to their network.
Plans have been in place aimed at regenerating the Levenside venue into a state-of-the-art athletics track since 2016 – but have been hit by a string of delays and setbacks.
Following the Covid-19 pandemic, the facility was due to open last March – but now won’t welcome athletes until the start of August at the earliest.
At a full meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council last month, frustrated members were told that delays connecting utilities to the site were causing the latest hold-ups.
And that has prompted Labour member David McBride to write to Scottish Water.
In his letter, Councillor McBride says: “As the convener of the Infrastructure, Regeneration and Economic Development Committee, I write on behalf of all elected members of the committee, given our concerns over substantial and currently indefinite delay to the connection of a new water supply to our Posties Park Sports Hub facility in Dumbarton.
“The current situation is that omissions from your approval of our original proposals back in 2021 have put ourselves at a great deal of additional time, expense and risk of reputational damage.
“I therefore seek a definitive timetable to completion of a working water connection issued to us as a matter of urgency.
“I am sure that you will understand the frustration this has caused among elected members, citizens of West Dunbartonshire and our council employees trying to deliver this important project.
“There appears to have been a catalogue of unnecessary, additional work resulting in increased costs and unacceptable delays.
“I trust this will allow you to finally provide us with programming dates as a matter of urgency and a clear commitment to enabling the project to conclude.”
The project has been beset by delays and setbacks, with work initially getting underway more than six years ago.
In 2017 a £500,000 funding application to sportscotland for the project was rejected, leaving West Dunbartonshire Council to pay for the £1.65m renovation.
Three years later, in 2020, we told how explosives experts had been drafted in to assess the site, after believing the site may contain unexploded World War II bombs dropped during the Clydebank Blitz.
Permission was finally granted in early 2021, with work initially expected to be complete by March 2022 – more than four years later than originally planned.
Construction work on a brand new sports pavilion, gym, parking area and running track with stunning views over Dumbarton Rock are almost complete - but the venue remains inaccessible for athletes.
A Scottish Water spokeswoman said: “The process to connect the new sports hub has proved challenging for a variety of reasons but we are committed to resolving the issues and moving forward as quickly as possible.
“We are happy to meet with the council to discuss, review and progress work so that it can be completed without any further delay.”
