Work to transform the Strand Hall in Builth Wells has stopped and one councillor has resigned following disagreements about health and safety matters.
Councillor Adrian Jones left a town council meeting on Tuesday, announcing that he was quitting and his letter of resignation would be with the council by its next meeting.
Councillor Jones had previously warned the council that members could face prison if the project did not follow Construction, Design Management regulations.
But at Tuesday’s meeting, some members still questioned whether the regulations apply to their project because it is long-term and would be completed in phases.
But Councillor Jones said: “These are serious matters. Do you want to have a criminal record? It is affecting my work now, so I am resigning.”
The Mayor, Councillor Geoff York, stopped the discussion after Councillor Jones’ resignation and the council fixed a meeting to discuss the Strand Hall for Thursday, September 25 at 7.30pm.
Councillor York said he was concerned about Councillor Jones’ reaction because the council had not made a decision on the health and safety matters, and he said he would talk to Councillor Jones to try get him to reconsider his decision.
The row came after a discussion about whether the Strand Hall project comes under Construction, Design and Management regulations which govern health and safety matters.
Councillor Jones had warned the council previously that the project was affected by the regulations because of the probable timescale of it. And after he and Councillors Frances Christley and John Carruthers met with a Construction, Design and Management consultant, he reiterated his warning at Tuesday night’s meeting.
Councillor Christley said that if they did not employ a designer to draw up proper plans, appoint a CDM co-ordinator and a principal contractor to oversee the project, councillors could end up with criminal convictions, large fines or be sent to prison.
Councillors Jones and Christley said the consultant had said the project is affected by the regulations, and a risk assessment and a survey need to be carried out and the correct people need to be appointed to undertake the work.
Councillor Christley said because of the consultant’s advice, she went to the Strand Hall, where volunteers were working and she stopped them. “There were eight men working there and they did not have a hard hat, safety goggles or safety boots between them and they were about to remove a 1960’s glass panel,” she said.
“We can get the CDM done in four to six weeks but we have to spend some money doing this work, but it will be hundreds not thousands. I really do not think there is anyway around this at all.”
But Councillor Carruthers said he still thought there was a way around the CDM because the project would be carried out in different phases.
Several members said they could not be expected to account for work which may take place in 20 years’ time.
Councillor York said they were constrained by the fact that the cadets were keen to move in, and time and money.
But he there was an offer on the table from the cadets, who want to rent much of the bottom floor of the Strand Hall, that they would be happy to appoint a CDM consultant and a principal contractor for their part of the project. He asked if it would be possible for them to start their work and the rest of the project could start in the Spring.
But Councillor Jones said it was not possible because they needed a plan of the whole works to fulfil the CDM regulations.
“There are certain things we are not doing as a council. We have not set a budget for the project. We should have done a risk assessment for a new project. We are putting the cart before the horse in a lot of this,” he said.
