Huge £3m adventure park in popular UK seaside town suddenly SHUTS after ‘crumbling concrete’ found in roof
POPULAR seaside town’s adventure park has been forced to shut after “crumbling concrete” was found on its roof.
Building repairs are set to occur on the site after the Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) was discovered and raised safety concerns.
Flip Out Poole, which is located in Dorset’s The Dolphin Centre, will close from Tuesday June 3 as building repairs are underway.
A guest notice from The Flip Out Team has been shared on their website: “We know this isn’t the news our amazing Poole community wanted to hear – and we want to say a huge thank you for all the energy, joy and epic memories you’ve brought through our doors up to now.
“All guests with upcoming bookings will be automatically refunded in full, so there’s nothing you need to do. We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.”
The Raac concrete which was found on the roof of The Hub is considered to be an unstable material.
It is weaker than conventional concrete and susceptible to collapsing, particularly when wet or does not have adequate support from steel beams.
The Hub also housed offices for BCP Council workers.
It is understood affected areas are only isolated to the Flip Out section of the shopping centre.
There is subsequently no imminent danger posed to visitors or staff, according to an investigation by building and structural engineers for The Dolphin centre.
Centre manager for The Dolphin, John Grinnell, said: “Legal & General are committed to a proactive approach to building maintenance.
“These works are a proactive measure to avoid any potential unsafe conditions in the future.
“We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure. Our team aims to complete these works as soon as possible, which will provide a permanent solution and ensure Flip Out Poole can reopen for many years to come.”
With the Raac concrete found only in one area of the centre, the rest of The Dolphin will remain open as usual whilst the repair works are happening.
A post by the general manager of Flip Out was shared on social media, but has since been removed.
He wrote: “To be clear this is due to the roof of the facility having been made with Raac concrete.
“The landlord must complete refurbishment works to ensure the building is safe to occupy.”
The essential maintenance is being carried out by the landlord of The Dolphin.
Raac concrete became a prominent issue particularly in 2023, where concerns were raised around schools, hospitals and court house buildings.
Adventure parks have also been facing challenges this year in terms of closures, which has been send as a blow to children’s entertainment sites.