A quarter of a million pounds is to be spent saving the decaying South Holland Centre, just 20 years after a £2.5m revamp.
One South Holland district councillor says he goes into the function room “gingerly” amid his fears over the building’s structural integrity.
On Sunday (July 8), scaffolding will be put up and will remain for at least two months to allow essential maintenance on the building.
A long list of problems has been identified. These range from structural issues with corroded joints in the steelwork columns to the fixings and fittings on the glass.
Chris Brewis, who was a member of the council when the overhaul was done in 1998, said: “One of the biggest problems was metal supports holding up the dance floor in the main hall were not bolted in place.”
At the full council meeting in May, South Holland District Council members green-lit the works in a closed session.
The nature of the problems is “a combination” of deterioration and issues with the original build and materials, a council spokesman said.
“The previous building refurbishment is 20 years old and some of the elements, such as the glazed curtain wall, the clock tower and fixings and special protective painting, are approaching the end of their life cycle,” the spokesman said.
The issues to be addressed came to light during an inspection in June 2017.
The 13-month wait for work to start is due to the complexity of the project, the spokesman said.
“A project of this size involves a number of sub-contractors to prepare a full schedule which takes time to coordinate and bring together.
“In June 2017, when the specification for the glazing wall and structural steel work was being prepared, other areas of maintenance work were identified.
“For economies of scale, it was decided to include these in the full specification for the tender process which extended the process. This was then subject to robust internal challenge to test for value for money in the approach.
“The complexity of the design of the building and the specialists natures of the works needed has meant that a significant proportion of the budget is for scaffolding costs,” the spokesman said.
The council said all scheduled shows will go ahead and the centre will remain open during works.
Nick Worth, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Growth and Commercialisation, said: “The South Holland Centre remains a key asset to the district and the planned works to the external fabric of the building due to be carried out will mean that the Centre will be fit for purpose for years to come.”
The South Holland Centre opened in its current form in Spring 1998, after extensive works.
The Voice has requested a full list of works to be carried out on the building from South Holland District Council but at the time of going to press this had not been received.
