Return of aquatic centre makes waves

CONTROVERSY surrounding the operation of the National Aquatic Centre continued yesterday as the High Court ruled that possession of the building be returned to State company Campus and Stadium Ireland Development Ltd (CSID).

The latest twist in an ongoing series of problems that have dogged the facility for years left opposition parties demanding an explanation from the Government.

Yesterday, the High Court found that the company appointed to operate the National Aquatic Centre, Dublin Waterworld Ltd (DWL), had deliberately breached its lease.

The court found that DWL, which was granted the lease for the centre in April 2003, had breached that contract by consciously and wilfully failing to pay rent and failing to produce audited accounts.

In addition, the court found DWL had breached the terms of its agreement with CSID by holding the lease in trust for a Limerick businessman, Pat Mulcair.

The exact terms of the order for possession of the building will be finalised next week.

Yesterday DWL refused to comment but CSID chief executive Donagh Morgan, said the Aquatic Centre would remain open.

However, Labour finance spokesperson Joan Burton said the Government had serious questions to answer with regard to the original structure put in place to manage the centre.

“I have already asked the Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct a review of what went on in relation to this key piece of sports infrastructure, but the minister should come forward now with a comprehensive explanation of what went wrong,” she said.

Fine Gael sports spokesperson Jimmy Deenihan called for serious concerns about structural defects in the building to be assessed by an engineer.

“It is regrettable that what should be a fine national facility has been dogged by such controversy.

“While the court proceedings have been ongoing, serious concerns about the structural soundness of the centre have been somewhat overshadowed and this issue must now come back into focus,” he said.