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Mowlem disputes Bath Spa 'smear'
21:00 28 Sep 2005
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Mowlem has blasted Bath & North East Somerset Council (BANES) and its project manager Capita Symonds for launching a smear campaign against it over the troubled 35m Bath Spa project.
Last week, Capita Symonds, which is overseeing the completion of the project following Mowlem's departure from the scheme in April, published a list of problems and faults it had found on the site since its arrival.
Repair work will cost 1.3m to rectify, although Capita said the spa is still on course for an April 2006 opening. Capita listed:
Sub-standard internal fire doors that need replacing.
The doors in the steam and treatment rooms are insecure, with the weight of the door too great for hinges and fittings.
Leaking in the spa's floors is worse than anticipated, with some areas needing to be re-laid.
Galvanized steel used in areas instead of stainless steel has now started to rust and needs to
be replaced.
Peeling paint in other parts of the spa.
A crack in the basement. This is a joint where work was temporarily finished, but when it started again, the new concrete was not properly keyed to the old.
Wiring not matching the wiring diagram.
Electrical fitments under the flooring need reinstalling and water ducts need to be reconstructed.
In a statement, Mowlem responded to what it called "clearly pre-planned and co-ordinated press releases" from BANES and Capita.
"It seems to be a feature of this project that we find out about alleged problems through the media, rather than through any proper process of information and discussion, and indeed some of these issues have never been raised with us before," it added.
In response, Mowlem said:
Problems with the floors came from an "inherent design defect". This arises from BANES' decision in 2001 to omit drainage from the floors and relocate a brittle membrane on top of
the screed.
The basement crack was an inherent part of the design and that the construction was as specified, and was inspected and accepted by BANES' structural engineers a "long time ago".
On the glazing, Mowlem said its subcontractor MagHansen dealt "adequately" with all queries raised and blamed the problems on design issues. Mowlem also revealed that MagHansen gave no warranty due to its concerns about the design and a lack of cleaning and maintenance by BANES when Mowlem left the site.
Last week, Capita Symonds, which is overseeing the completion of the project following Mowlem's departure from the scheme in April, published a list of problems and faults it had found on the site since its arrival.
Repair work will cost 1.3m to rectify, although Capita said the spa is still on course for an April 2006 opening. Capita listed:
Sub-standard internal fire doors that need replacing.
The doors in the steam and treatment rooms are insecure, with the weight of the door too great for hinges and fittings.
Leaking in the spa's floors is worse than anticipated, with some areas needing to be re-laid.
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Galvanized steel used in areas instead of stainless steel has now started to rust and needs to
be replaced.
Peeling paint in other parts of the spa.
A crack in the basement. This is a joint where work was temporarily finished, but when it started again, the new concrete was not properly keyed to the old.
Wiring not matching the wiring diagram.
Electrical fitments under the flooring need reinstalling and water ducts need to be reconstructed.
In a statement, Mowlem responded to what it called "clearly pre-planned and co-ordinated press releases" from BANES and Capita.
"It seems to be a feature of this project that we find out about alleged problems through the media, rather than through any proper process of information and discussion, and indeed some of these issues have never been raised with us before," it added.
In response, Mowlem said:
Problems with the floors came from an "inherent design defect". This arises from BANES' decision in 2001 to omit drainage from the floors and relocate a brittle membrane on top of
the screed.
The basement crack was an inherent part of the design and that the construction was as specified, and was inspected and accepted by BANES' structural engineers a "long time ago".
On the glazing, Mowlem said its subcontractor MagHansen dealt "adequately" with all queries raised and blamed the problems on design issues. Mowlem also revealed that MagHansen gave no warranty due to its concerns about the design and a lack of cleaning and maintenance by BANES when Mowlem left the site.
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