Nearly £1m Repair Works Start On Poole Car Park

17 July 2014, 10:18 | Updated: 17 July 2014, 10:27

Repairs start today on a leaking car park in Poole town centre which has been shut since May 2012.

The car park in Serpentine Lane was closed to enable the cause of water leakage from the car park to be investigated and appropriate long term repairs identified. It also enabled temporary sheeting to be installed to reduce the amount of rainwater leaking into the shops below the car park.

In February 2013 the Dolphin Shopping Centre changed ownership and detailed discussions and negotiations have taken place with the new owners, Legal & General Property, to agree a way forward to resolve this long standing problem.

The works will involve the replacement of the car park surfacing, the water proofing system and the expansion joints as well as cladding the brickwork parapets. In addition repairs will be made to the stairwells’ brickwork and a new low energy lighting system will be installed to reduce energy consumption and provide more even lighting levels across the car park.

Councillor Ian Potter, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Borough of Poole, said:

"This is a great example of partnership working at its best. Borough of Poole and Legal & General Property have worked closely together to develop a solution which will ensure that the roof-top car park will be available for public use in the Autumn and provide relief for the shops which have suffered leaks for many years. This is great news for residents and visitors to Poole especially in the busy shopping period leading up to Christmas."

The works will be undertaken by Balfour Beatty and it is anticipated that they will be completed by early October 2014.