Wick councillors and community leaders are asking “searching questions” after Storm Arwen ripped away part of their high school wall.
Wick Community Campus – opened in 2017 – suffered extensive damage as storm winds battered the county on Friday.
The entire campus – which includes the leisure centre, Newton Park Primary School and Wick High School – was closed until Wednesday 1 December.
Highland Council ordered emergency repairs at the weekend, but delayed reopening until further safety checks were completed.
Alarmed by the gaping hole in the side of the school, local stakeholders claim the building is not fit for purpose.
‘This is not the central belt’
The damage took place on Friday afternoon, as Storm Arwen brought high winds, rain and snow.
The wind tore the Rodeca polycarbonate cladding away from the steel frame, leaving a large hole in the high school’s games hall. Nobody was hurt in the incident, but community leaders fear the building may be unsafe.
“Safety is paramount, and I’m glad nobody was hurt,” says Allan Farquhar, a community councillor and member of the Wick campus stakeholder group. “However, this incident must raise serious questions about how these panels are attached.”
He argued the incident showed the panels are “not fit for purpose”.
Mr Farquhar acknowledges that Storm Arwen is one of the worst storms to have ever hit Scotland. It brought four times more damage than the ‘beast from the east’ and resulted in three deaths.
However, while some parts of Scotland attracted a red weather warning, Caithness was rated amber. The Met Office says the top gust speed in Wick on Friday was 74mph, and the peak hourly mean windspeed was 52mph.
Other buildings in Wick also suffered storm damage. The hoarding at Lidl supermarket was toppled, while the Mansafe railings on the roof of Tesco were blown off, resulting in the store having to close. Many homes suffered broken fences and sheds.
Mr Farquhar says Caithness regularly records wind speeds in excess of 90mph. Met Office data shows the top recorded wind in Caithness was 102mph, albeit in 1969.
Wick’s community campus officially opened in 2017, and cost £48.5m. Mr Farquhar says the stakeholder group repeatedly warned the council and its design partners Hub North about the Caithness weather.
“This is a brand new building,” says Mr Farquhar. “The stakeholder group told contractors ‘this is not the central belt, it’s very exposed’.
“This kind of weather in not infrequent in Caithness. Our school should have been built to cope with anything we have and more.”
Serious questions to be asked
Local councillor Raymond Bremner also flagged up concerns about what he described as “alarming failures of this asset’s integrity”.
He said: “I have asked the council for assurances regarding the integrity of the building and its ability to withstand challenging weather conditions, which – while not very frequent – are frequent enough to be of concern.”
Mr Bremner says the council has asked design partners Hub North for written confirmation of the correct installation and testing of building materials and products.
If that is the case, he says, “Serious questions will follow in respect of why the building failed during the storm.”
Mr Farquhar says the community council will have some serious questions of its own. It is currently gathering together public feedback and questions to put to the council.
Council took quick action
However, both Mr Farquhar and Mr Bremner praised the quick reaction of contractors. They arrived onsite within 24 hours of the damage taking place, and fixed the panels back onto the steel frame.
A council spokeswoman said: “External cladding repairs to the games hall were carried out on Saturday.
“Highland Council worked with its partner Galliford Try Facilities Management to have the building reopened this week.”
Mr Farquhar acknowledged the quick response. “The team working on the repairs should be commended,” he said.
However, the community council and parent council want reassurances that this will not happen again.
Prof Iain Baikie, chairman of the parent council, accused the council of making “lame excuses”.
He added: “The winds we experienced in Caithness on Friday clearly exceeded the design specifications of the new school, tearing through the translucent wall panels of the large games hall.
“The campus was closed for four days for building inspections. Parents will want reassurance that the roof of the gym is undamaged.”
Hub North directed requests for comment to Highland Council.
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