Blackpool's controversial tramway extension delayed by almost TWO years as list of problems tops 115

Despite 115 defects being spotted during work on the £22.8 million project, which will see trams run between the Prom and the resort's North railway station, the council blamed the delay on failed efforts to demolish the Wilko building in Talbot Road, where the new terminus is set to be built.

The retailer was meant to move to a new home in Tower Street as part of the Houndshill Shopping Centre's extension, which the council promised would be built "well before 2020", even though work has yet to start.

"The original expected finishing date was July 19, 2019," the authority said in a response to a Freedom of Information request. "This was dependent on getting access to the Wilko site to allow construction of the terminus to commence.

"At this present time, the completion of the tramway extension is dependent on Wilko vacating the terminus site, and on the understanding that this is achieved in the next couple of months.

"So, allowing demolition of the existing store, completion of the tramway extension is expected by the end of March 2021."

In February 2018, claims the tramway extension could be delayed by hold-ups on other town centre regeneration schemes were rejected by town hall chiefs, but have now turned out to be true.

Coun Tony Williams warned at the time that "Wilko will not be able to move until at least 2020", and said "that means the tram station will not be built until 2020 and not operational until much later in the year".

But Coun Gillian Campbell, the council's deputy leader, pledged: "As with other major work, we have no doubt that this development will go ahead and be completed well before 2020 with no impact on the plans for the tramway extension."

Wilko's new store was supposed to open last autumn, with the firm saying it was "excited to be part of this fantastic development," which would have created 60 jobs.

Instead, around 40 workers could be laid off when the retail giant's lease ends in mid-April. Hopes remain that Wilko will eventually move into the Houndshill extension when it is finally ready, which the council's regeneration boss Alan Cavill said could be "September or October 2021".

But that depends on the authority winning £5m funding from the Government's Future High Street Fund towards the three-storey development, which also includes a nine-screen "Imax-style" cinema and two restaurants.

Coun Williams, the opposition leader at the town hall, today criticised the council, which bought the Houndshill for £47.6 million in November following months of talks.

He said: "On every deadline this council have promised to meet, they have failed miserably. They need to stop writing cheques their brains can't cash."

In a statement, the council said: "The reasons for the delay have been well documented and reported.

"As with all major projects, there is always a risk of slippage in timescales. In this case, there has been the added complexity of trying to relocate a large store within the original timescale.

"Unfortunately, that has not proved possible.

“We are now a matter of weeks away from being able to move on site to begin demolition of the existing Wilko building and commence the construction of a new tram terminus, underpass to Blackpool North Station and a Holiday Inn Hotel.

“These are developments that will play a vital role in regenerating one of the key gateways to the resort as well as catalysing investor confidence and job creation in the wider town centre."

The tramway extension was approved in 2016. A consultation process elicited 134 responses, with 81 backing the bid and 46 objecting, including taxi drivers.

The council is paying £4.7m towards the project, with central Government putting up the rest of the cash.

Transport chiefs said the scheme will improve connectivity with rail services, encourage the use of public transport, and boost economic growth.

But its detractors say it could lead to traffic jams and is a waste of taxpayers’ cash – with some pointing out the resort doesn’t even have a bus station anymore.

TRADERS VOICED FEARS OVER ROADWORKS LINKED TO 'REMEDIAL WORKS'

Businesses and motorists were badly affected by roadworks caused by defects linked to the tramway extension - and now, for the first time, The Gazette has obtained a list of the faults that led to the misery.

The council said it was unable to give a complete list of "all remediation works" because its deal "requires the contractor to correct any and all defects, whether they are notified by the council or not".

It added: "This can mean that the contractor can rectify his own defects as soon as they occur, and the council is only required to notify defects that have been corrected."

The authority said the contract also means the firm overseeing the extension has to put the problems right at its own cost, so the overall £22.8m cost of the scheme remains the same.

Issues that were raised - with the majority fixed - include boot prints being left in asphalt, standing water, and even a pothole.

Some work had to be re-done because it wasn't carried out properly, documents revealed, including a tram stop near Talbot Square, while the quality of paving was also called into question in places.

One of the Resilience Pathway paving stones, installed as part of an £11m mental health project, has been damaged and not yet been fixed.

And "incorrectly constructed works" led to "vehicle overrun by buses" on the traffic island outside the town hall.

John Sisk and Sons, one of the main contractors, said: "On a project of this scale and complexity, we would expect there to be a number of defects and snags as the project runs.

"The list is approaching two years old and is a rolling list used to track progress and closure. We are working closely with the Council to ensure the works are handed over in line with the specification in 2021."

The Gazette asked the council whether it was satisfied with the overall standard of the work. It said in a statement: “We will continue to manage these works with contractors to ensure that work is carried out with as little disruption as possible and completed to the required standard.”

The authority refused to release "any internal or external documents, such as official reports and correspondence in the form of letters or emails" under the Freedom of Information Act, citing an exemption relating to cost.

Skate shop Big Woody's, which was opposite the Sacred Heart Church near to Talbot Square was forced moved to the Devonshire Road end of the street, much closer to Layton, after the construction derailed trade.

"We, maybe foolishly, stayed in the hope the assurances from the council that the works on the tramway would be finished and the road outside our shop reopened by the end of September," owner Woody said in December 2018.

"This never happened. In fact, the situation went from bad to worse."

He said "utter chaos" meant shoppers could not "negotiate the maze of barriers and blockades to the businesses that have managed to survive this long" and said two workers had to be let go.

And Lee Clark, from LC Wedding and Party, also in Talbot Road, said he was at "the end of his tether" waiting for the work to end because it had crippled footfall and led to difficulties with deliveries.

THE LIST OF ALL FAULTS (As described by Blackpool Council)

DEFECTS LIST

Soft area of stone close to island outside the town hall

Defective concrete finish

Ponding on corner of Corporation Street and Talbot Square

Bitumen staining to kerbs

Cube strength below specified strength

Loose bollard on island outside the town hall

Damage to ducts and inspections

Damaged ducts outside Ma Kelly's

Defective surfacing in Talbot Road, Topping Street, and Dickson Road

Defective alignment of a kerb in Talbot Road

Excessive slope on The Strand

Damage to duct outside Shalimar, on the south side of Talbot Road

Damage to paintwork

Damage to Virgin Media ducts across the Promenade outside the Ibis

A gap beneath Barnfield hoarding

Defective footway surfacing adjacent to the Barnfield site

Cube strength below required strength

Aco channel to the rear of the north footway outside the church

Debris and detritus in all drain runs

Concrete finish

Damage to the concrete track slab on the lozenge island near the gully

HRA failures and defects

Incorrect location of the duct box in the kerb line of the central island opposite the Ibis

Loose and misaligned NAL sockets

Damage to the concrete finish in the east lay-by

Damage to the concrete finish in the east lay-by - still defective

Misaligned tactive paving at the crossing outside the Ibis

Misaligned and poor quality kerb line on the north-east corner of Abingdon Street and Talbot Road adjacent to News and Booze

Lighting column left in the carriageway of the lay-by on the northern side of Talbot Road outside Heron Foods

Damaged and defective kerb lines

Defective duct runs and bends

Defective ducting between the NAL socket and the duct box at the east end of the central island in Talbot Square, opposite the Ibis

Sisk damaged newly-laid ducts adjacent to OLE30 whilst searching for other ducts

Newly-laid blocks on the central island opposite the Ibis in Talbot Square failed around the circular manhole cover

Red duct laid inside orange duct at controller pillar on the north east corner of Talbot Square and the Prom outside The Counting House

ACO channel from the charity shop to News and Booze on the north side of Talbot Road. Alignment wrong and no outfall.

Incorrect location of OLE37 in respect of distance from the kerb line

Block paving at the western end of the tram stop not laid in a random pattern but in a symmetrical pattern contrary to works information

Eatern end of Tlabot Square tram stop not installed or designed in accordance with the works information

Drainage run on the lozenge island between the track and the highway not to specification or to any acceptable design

Duct run alignment

Failure of Mandrel test on Scada duct runs between duct boxes eight-nine and nine-10

Red duct leaving OLE 28 far too shallow

Orange duct inside black duct at OLE 25 to be removed

Triangular island at Corporation Street/town hall needs a recessed cover in the buff tactiles, not a plain cover

Offset from the centre of the rail to the copings too great and outside guidance, design and works information at tramstop

Quality of block paving adjacent to the Counting House, Talbot Square, The Strand junction

Concrete failed to reach specified minimum strength

Poor quality flagging o nthe east side of the Prom between Queen Street and Talbot Road

Damage to Resilient paving tile

Crushed drainage pipe on the eastbound carriageway in Talbot Road, near to the pedestrian crossing

Town hall uncontrolled crossing - incorrectly constructed works leading to vehicle over-run by buses

Gully outside Home Bargains not connected to the drainage system

Defective draining on the north side of the carriageway, from Home Bargains to Abingdon Street

ACO drain outside Shalimar with no outfall

Saw cut damage to rail shoulder on the Prom

Substandard footway construction outside the Ibis

Two duct failures on the Prom opposite The Strand

Mastic join between rail and HRA failing

Defective cellar cover outside the community charity shop on the south side of Talbot Road

Cracks in the upper rail slab at the switches

Failure of manhole covers at various locations

HOT ROLLED ASPHALT (HRA) DEFECTS

Not a consistent straight line on joint from new to old in Dickson Road

Eastbound lane plucking (the loss of aggregate in road surface) near Wilko's

Eastbound lane showing depression (two square boot marks) near Wilko's

Bucket damage on the westbound left lane

Plucking on the westbound right lane

Plucking around iron works on the westbound right lane

Plucking at the centre of the Talbot Road/Topping Street junction

Levels around the iron work on the corner of Talbot Road/Topping Street

Bitumen strip not complete at tie-in at the Dickson Road junction

Plucking between Al Amin and Othello's

Plucking between News and Booze and the Vic pub

Plucking on the north side starting at News and Booze

Plucking on the south side between the tattoo shop and the Vic pub

Plucking in between the south rail at the junction with Abingdon Street

Ironworks low from Bet Sid crossing to PDSA

No bitumen strip at tie-in to existing road from News and Booze to Malloys

Surface cracks between the north rail and kerb outside Home Bargains

Plucking on the north side rail up to Talbot Express

Plucking on the south rail opposite the church phone box

Plucking opposite the left church lay-by between north and south rails

Over-chipping opposite the church gate and Black Pug between the south rail and kerb

Plucking opposite the Home and HQ nightclub

Stone loss on the corner of Corporation Street and Clifton Street

Texture/finish - hump-level tolerance

Stone loss of the corner of area seven (triangular island opposite the Home and HQ nightclub)

Ponding adjacent to the bus stop on the Prom, five metres from the tie-in

Plucking on the northbound carriageway, five metres from the island

Pulling/cracking next to the north/terminus bound tramline on the Prom

Pothole on the Prom

Uneven surface alongside the Ibis junction

Ponding and patchwork from the Market Street junction to the Ibis central island

Ponding and finish issue on the central/splitter island opposite the town hall

Plucking at joints and no bitumen strip at joints opposite the church, between the south side rail and kerb

Pulled and boot prints at the Malloy's crossing

Cracks and pulling at the News and Booze pulling

Ponding in the loading bay outside the Vic pub

No seal at the tie-in at the junction of Talbot Road and Dickson Road

Ponding on the corner of Corporation Street

Ponding in the cycle land outside Ma Kelly's

Lighting column in Imperial lay-by

Ponding water near the Counting House

Plucking on the corner of Talbot Road and Corporation Street

Ponding water on the north side of the crossing opposite News and Booze

Ponding water on the Prom

Fence panel marks in the road on the corner of Talbot Road and Dickson Road

Iron works failure on the Prom opposite the Counting House

Iron works failure at the Prom/Ibis southbound junction

Ironworks failure on corner of Corporation Street/Clifton Street

Plucking on the north side of Talbot Road

Ponding water on the north Prom central island (south side)

Pondinbg water on the north Prom central island

Surface irregularity on the Barnfield temporary footpath