Camden Council’s Supreme Court fight for community pool
Camden War Memorial Pool’s $4 million redevelopment eight years ago was widely celebrated and welcomed by the community. But the project has degenerated into a legal nightmare.
Macarthur
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A LEAK. A compromised water treatment system. Cracked pool walls. An entire pool precinct ”destabilised”.
Camden War Memorial Pool’s $4 million redevelopment eight years ago was widely celebrated and welcomed by the community.
But the project has degenerated into a legal nightmare.
Camden Council has sued the three companies responsible for the 2010 redevelopment claiming substandard workmanship.
Council is seeking a new 50m pool precinct in compensation, worth an estimated $5.4 million (as of May 2015).
As of June 2017, council had dedicated about $890,000 towards the legal proceedings.
In court documents filed last year and seen by the Chronicle, Lippmann Partnership accepts the failures in the structural design but wishes to compensate future repair costs, not an entire redesign.
The council launched a civil suit in 2012 and claims Lippman Partnership, described on its website as “one of Australia’s leading urban design architectural studios”, provided a pool design which wasn’t suitable for the ground conditions.
Rhodes-based ABC Consultants, subcontracted by Lippmann to provide the pool’s structural design, is also being sued.
Waterloo-based construction company Kane Constructions also is being sued by council, claiming it failed to build a waterproof, leak-free pool.
The council also alleged the now-repaired leak allowed water to enter the soil consequently making the pool unstable.
According to the court documents, the failure in the pool’s structural design has destabilised the Camden War Memorial pool precinct, with the northwest and northeast corners of the leisure pool sinking and rising by 21mm and 10mm respectively, resulting in a 33mm variation.
These fluctuations have resulted in the water treatment system of the leisure pool being compromised and failing to comply with NSW Government standards.
“Council is unable to release specific information about the issue and is committed and determined to ensuring the best outcome for the community,” a Camden Council spokeswoman said.
Lippmann Partnership owner Ed Lippmann said the dispute was “unfortunate”.
ABC Consultants and Kane Constructions both declined to comment.
The matter is listed for directions at the NSW Supreme Court on October 26.