'Portsmouth City Council has an awful lot of questions to answer over Hard Interchange'

After initially denying that legal processes were activated with the designer Roc Consulting and contractor Osborne over the sinking £9.2m hub at the Hard Interchange, Portsea, Portsmouth City Council has finally come clean and admitted that is actually the case.
Workers sorting a temporary fix fir the tarmac at the £9.2m Hard Interchange at Portsea Picture: Terry PearsonWorkers sorting a temporary fix fir the tarmac at the £9.2m Hard Interchange at Portsea Picture: Terry Pearson
Workers sorting a temporary fix fir the tarmac at the £9.2m Hard Interchange at Portsea Picture: Terry Pearson

Temporary repairs, under heavy rainfall, have enhanced and not cured the ground issues and the sinking area is now under review for a complete replacement plan.

This is where the situation becomes interesting.

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Before commencement there would have been ground condition surveys and ground testing. There would be a written and photographic, if not scientific reports on this.

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There would have been a full specification of the works and materials required and drawings illustrating the requirements.

Where structural concrete was specified, there would be test results of the concrete poured.

During the project, members of Portsmouth City Council, normally surveyors and quantity surveyors, would have been responsible for overseeing the works and ensuring that the specification was followed.

There would be interim claims and valuations throughout the project, these would be validated and paid by PCC to represent the quantity and value of work at that time. These would only be paid if all parties were in full agreement.

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There would be regular contract meetings which would be recorded in print.

Therefore, with all this in place, it would appear that PCC itself has an awful lot of questions to answer in terms of its own management, financial payments and record keeping.

So, before yet another fortune drops into a big black hole, perhaps a ‘spokesperson’ could enlighten the News readers with a full statement of their records that exonerates them fully from responsibility?

Dean Kimber

North Shore, Hayling Island