Nesting seagull delays major demolition project and lands council and college with £460,000 bill
Nicholas Thomas Local Democracy Reporter
A nesting seagull has caused delays to the demolition of a city centre venue to the tune of nearly half a million pounds.
A Newport City Council report on the local authority’s capital spending shows the demolition project for the Newport Centre overspent by £460,000 last year.
The council said the delays were “due to delays caused because (sic) of a nesting seagull, and additional costs that had to be paid above the agreed contract price”.
Some 40 days were lost because of the nesting bird, the council has since confirmed.
Overspend
According to the council report, “the overspend of this will be funded by Coleg Gwent and a revenue budget contribution from the councils in 2023/24”.
“Although costs are still being finalised, there is a cost sharing agreement in place with Coleg Gwent,” a council spokesperson added.
Work to raze the Newport Centre has now been completed, in preparation for a new Coleg Gwent campus described as a “truly first-class learning environment for all the people of Newport, in a location that is easy to access from all areas of the city”.
Demolition works began in April 2023 at the Newport Centre, in Usk Way, which for decades served as one of the city’s main leisure destinations.
The site included a swimming pool, and also welcomed a host of big names in music, with David Bowie and Elton John among the stars to play concerts at the venue.
Future plans
The city council, meanwhile, plans to build a new leisure centre on the other side of Usk Way, around 100 metres from the old “ageing” site.
The “state of the art” leisure centre will include facilities including a swimming pool and fitness studio.
The council spokesperson said the local authority is “focused on delivering the new leisure and wellbeing centre for Newport”.
They added: “With its fantastic new facilities, including a modern leisure pool and lots of space for communities and activities, it will provide a space for everyone in our city, and visitors, to relax, enjoy themselves and so much more.
“As possibly the first net-zero and all-electric facility in the UK, enabling works on-site are well underway, with building work expected to begin very soon. This work should take around 18 months.”
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Ever wonder why the GDP per capita of the UK is so low, one Seagull delays a project by months, no wonder HS2 went so far over budget!
I fully accept that in many respects Great Britain is a ‘nature-depleted’ island, but from my observation that doesn’t extend to seagulls. We live a good fifteen miles away from the coast, but even so we have absolute legions of gulls swooping around our skies and squawking on our chimneys!
Badgers, Foxes, Deer, Covids etc all want parity with Sh*tehawks…
So who or what gained half a million quid using a ‘Gull’…(To be gulled=cheated !)
The ex FM only copped 200k…!
I can cope with dodgy politicians but
I’m now starting to get worried. When a nesting seagull can cost someone half a million pounds, how long is it going to be before I have to look after the slugs in my veg patch?
The article doesn’t say how much of the £460000 overspent was gull related and how much was due to “additional costs that had to be paid above the agreed contract price”
Scaring gulls by flying a bird of prey about an area is a successful technique used at various sites to move them on and stop them nesting.
I imagine that it’s not a cheap service but in no way would approach £460 000.
Top tip for councils, include the service as part of the contract.