Controls on the costs of building public swimming pools have been criticised after some projects sanctioned by the Department of the Environment overshot their estimate by as much as 600 per cent.
A pool built in Fermoy, Co Cork, estimated to cost £297,000, ended up costing £1.74 million. Another in Mallow, also in Co Cork, estimated to cost £300,000, ended up costing £1.85 million. In Ballyshannon, Co Donegal, a pool estimated at £483,000 had cost £1.84 million, while another in Cavan estimated at £700,000 had cost £2.25 million.
Even allowing for the effects of inflation - some took up to six years to complete from the date of original estimate - material cost overruns occurred on all four projects, the report finds.
Unsatisfactory features in all four projects included inadequate design briefs, the Department being ignored at construction stage and site supervision costs appearing to be excessive.
The Department's "guidelines specification for swimming pools" appeared to be inadequate. "It takes no account of the ancillary features that the Department is prepared to fund and it fails to provide a comprehensive set of procedures that applicants for funding will be required to adhere to. It also fails to set cost limits for individual projects," it states.
Grants are issued to local authorities towards the costs of providing and renovating swimming pools. Funding of up to 100 per cent is available for refurbishing existing facilities while up to 80 per cent of funding is available for a new pool or ancillary features such as a canteen or jacuzzi.
Department of Finance contract guidelines emphasise the importance of ensuring that all aspects of design are finalised before a project goes to tender in order to avoid the possibility of increased costs once a project is under way.
The report says nonetheless it is extremely difficult to make reliable estimates of pool costs and, due to financial constraints, there are usually significant time gaps. Some local authorities, in response to public demand, also move beyond the basic swimming pool concept into the area of amenity centres, it says, incorporating modest ancillary facilities.
