Row delays tower repair

Published on Wednesday 4 September 2002 01:00

REPAIRS to Glasgow Science Centre’s jinxed £10 million tower have been delayed for months by a row over faults, keeping it closed since February, The Scotsman has learned.

Contractors claimed yesterday that the work could have been completed in two months, but had been held up by fears over the admission of liability.

Caley Ocean Systems, which built the tower’s 1 million conical base, said it had lodged proposals in March for replacing the failed bearing which led to the structure sinking by half an inch. Officials at the centre admitted they were frustrated at the situation, but were unable to say when the 400ft tower, Scotland’s tallest free-standing structure, would reopen.

The Pacific Quay attraction, which made 15 staff redundant in July because of poor visitor numbers and debts, has lost hundreds of thousands of pounds in revenue since the tower’s closure.

Sources at the centre said last night: “Certain parties are being more helpful than others, who are dragging their heels.”

The wrangle over the tower repairs follows a series of problems which dogged its glass lifts and kept it closed for much of last year. The revolving structure, the only one in the world to able to turn completely, has been fixed in position pending the latest repairs.

David Cooper, the managing director of East Kilbride-based Caley, said yesterday that the specification for the tower required to be changed following investigations into the bearing failure.

However, he said this had not been agreed by Buro Happold, the engineers in charge of the project. Mr Cooper said the problem focused on fears that changing the specification would be an admission of liability for the problems.

He said: “We suggested a solution which could have been carried out in two months. The tower could have been opened for the summer season, without any question, but it has been frustrated by several parties.”

Mr Cooper said the repairs, involving the substitution of a different type of bearing in the tower’s base, was not a complicated solution.

He said: “We are absolutely confident that it will do the job and will not take that long to complete.”

David Grimmer, a spokesman for the centre, said: “We are frustrated by the position. The only thing that is going round and round at the moment is the correspondence.

“We, as operators, feel the people of Glasgow have been deprived of this outstanding attraction for long enough and are pressing all parties to progress repairs as soon as possible.”

A spokeswoman for the project engineers would only say last night: “Buro Happold is working with the Glasgow Science Centre and the other parties involved to progress outstanding issues with the tower. We have no further specifics at this time.”