By Andrew Topping, Local Democracy Reporting Service
A recently-renovated Mansfield town centre car park will need further work costing more than £150,000 to prevent water leaks affecting shops underneath it.
The Walkden Street car park, off Stockwell Gate and Rosemary Street, recently reopened to shoppers after a series of re-cladding works funded by the council.
However, council reports show that during the re-cladding, extra repairs were identified including concrete improvements, which have already been completed.
“Significant” water ingress was also discovered affecting a ground floor shop below, which is yet to be rectified.
It was found a waterproof membrane overlaying the original concrete structure on the 1970s multi-storey car park had failed, leading to the water leaking into the former British Heart Foundation shop on Stockwell Gate.
Repairing the leak is the responsibility of the Labour-led authority due to a long-term lease signed when the car park was first built.
The council has set out its plan to repair the damage and appointed a contractor to conduct the works, with the overall cost to the council expected to be £151,119.32 plus VAT.
This cost, the authority states, includes a “contingency sum” of £45,000.
The work will include removing the existing concrete surface down to the roof of the former British Heart Foundation unit.
A buried waterproof membrane across the whole concourse area will then be added, preventing future leakage before a built-up surface is installed for the floor within the car park.
Councillor Craig Whitby (Lab), the council’s cabinet member for corporate and finance, is recommended to approve allocating the funds during a delegated decision on Friday (July 15).
A report published ahead of the decision confirms the money will be funded through the existing Walkden Street refurbishment project.
In the report, Philip Colledge, the council’s corporate asset manager, said: “The car park, due to its typical 1970s construction, suffers from significant water ingress and if not regularly maintained can cause deterioration of the reinforced concrete.
“In general, once water starts to penetrate a structure, the rate of deterioration can accelerate quickly and it is important to carry out remedial works as soon as possible.
“It was identified that the ground floor retail unit immediately below the former concourse was experiencing significant water ingress.
“It was established that the waterproofing membrane overlaying the original concrete structure had failed. This is the responsibility of the council under its repairing and maintenance conditions within the lease.”
The improvements will follow the £1.7m council-run renovation work to the 352-space car park, brought about to “enhance the look” of the car park and replace concrete cladding that was coming “to the end of its life”.
The work, which was completed in April, included concrete panels on the outside of the car park being replaced by decorative metal cladding, as well as security fencing, replacing slabs and some repair work inside the building.
