Council to commence legal proceedings against North Sydney Olympic Pool architects

North Sydney Council voted, at a meeting held last night, to commence legal proceedings against Brewster Hjorth Architects (BHA) for breach of contract in relation to design services for the North Sydney Olympic Pool redevelopment.

The statement from Council notes “The decision is based on the consideration of legal advice by Councillors, and follows a dispute resolution process between Council and BHA, which ultimately did not resolve the dispute.

“North Sydney Olympic Pool is an iconic site, and Council’s focus has been and remains on ensuring that the redevelopment project is delivered to a high standard so that the facility can once again be enjoyed by everyone. Council is confident the legal proceedings will not impact the current timelines for the completion of the refurbishment. Slated for completion in early 2025.

“Council continues to remain focused on the delivery of the refurbishment, and is committed to keeping the community updated as the project progresses.”

The decision by North Sydney Council to commence legal proceedings over the controversial $89 million-plus redevelopment of its Olympic pool, comes after mediation talks collapsed.

Brewster Hjorth Architects were contracted in 2018 to provide design services for upgrades to the historic North Sydney Olympic Pool. In 2020, North Sydney Council signed a contract with construction company Icon to build the Milsons Point complex designed by Brewster Hjorth Architects.

The upgrade has long been plagued by cost blowouts, delays, heritage concerns, and doubts over its scale and design.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, an independent report by consultants PwC previously criticised the Council’s rush to sign the contract with the PwC report advising “this expedited award created issues for the project as the design documentation was incomplete, and site investigations were ongoing, leading to early variations and delay.”

The harbourside pool closed in early 2021 when the revamp was predicted to cost $58 million and be finished in late 2022. The pool is now due to reopen next year.

Last year, the council said the reopening had been delayed until 2025 after a steel roof frame for the 25-metre indoor pool had to be pulled down due to a “significant” design and construction problem.

The construction contract was $89.1 million however Council continues to receive variations associated with latent conditions, along with design and construction-related issues.

The building delays and rising costs could see the price for rebuilding the North Sydney Olympic Pool rise to more than $100 million - almost double the original estimate.

Image. Work on the North Sydney Olympic Pool in May 2023.