Holyrood project hits £400m mark and is delayed until next July

The new Scottish Parliament building will not be ready until July next year, presiding officer George Reid confirmed yesterday (Thursday).

He made the admission in his latest progress report to members of Holyrood's finance committee of a project which is now rumoured to have reached the £400m mark.

Reid told MSPs in his letter that the latest delays would lead to an increase in the cost of the project after main contractor Bovis Lend Lease told him that the projected completion date had to be extended from November 2003 to July 2004.

However, Reid said that the recently agreed cap on consultants' fees had saved £4.6m.

The biggest challenge of the project at the moment, said Reid, is the completion of the lightwell area - an access area with overhead glazing.

"Despite very considerable efforts to meet the programme, it has proved impossible," he said.

"The key reason is that Drawn Metal, the window contractor, has been unable to fit the windows quickly enough, largely due to the additional blast proofing.

"The result of this is that Mero, the specialist glazing contractor, cannot access the same lightwell area to complete their works.These delays have a knock-on impact on our ability to fit out the chamber and other critical works."

Last month Reid told the finance committee that the estimated cost of the project stood at £374m.