HARROGATE council officials have moved to reassure the public that the construction of Ripon’s new swimming pool is progressing safely after an underground void was found at the site.

The discovery was made in 2020 but only became public knowledge last week when the council published meeting papers explaining the need for an investigation and works to fix the hole temporarily filled with gravel.

Speaking at a meeting on Wednesday, councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, said some residents had since raised concerns over the swimming pool project and questioned if it was safe to continue.

In response, Michael Constantine, head of culture, tourism and sport, insisted the site was safe and said engineering experts had given the works the all-clear.

He said: “I’m very content to be able to give cabinet, council and any interested residents my assurance that as a project team we are employing sufficiently qualified and experienced geologists and geotechnical engineers.

“The ground investigation works are proposed to take place and be delivered by the company who have undertaken the main series of investigations and reinforcement works.

“They have a very detailed knowledge of the site and are pretty much the UK industry experts in ground stabilisation.”

Ripon is one of the UK’s most sinkhole-prone cities as it sits above a layer of gypsum – a water-soluble rock. In 2018, a sinkhole was discovered at the leisure centre before works on the new swimming pool and refurbishment project were given a safety go-ahead.

Two years earlier, another sinkhole saw 12 properties on Magdalens Road evacuated, while a council-run project to build a block of homes was abandoned in 2019 due to the geological risk

At Wednesday’s meeting, Mr Constantine described the recently-discovery void as “very shallow” and said it is understood to have been there “for a significant number of years”.

It was agreed at the meeting that the council – which owns the leisure centre – would spend £110,000 on investigating what caused the hole and how to permanently fix it.

Because the construction firm carrying out the works has been unable to get insurance, the council will have to self-insure at an additional cost.

Willmott Dixon was awarded a £10.2m contract to build the new swimming pool and refurbish the leisure centre in 2019. The first floor of the leisure centre has been completed, while the rest of the works are due to be completed by the end of the year.

The works are being carried out as a replacement for the 116-year-old Ripon Spa Baths which has been put up for sale by the council despite protests from local councillors and residents.

Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said the new swimming pool will be “something to be really proud of” once completed.

He told Wednesday’s meeting: “We are committed to providing this new multi-million pound facility for Ripon and we have invested a lot in that movement towards the end goal.

“Once the project is completed it will be a superb facility.”