THE long awaited Okehampton Sports Centre Project is currently some £75,000 over budget, West Devon Borough councillors were told last week.
The £4.2-million scheme is now approaching the two thirds mark into a 60-week contract to provide a new swimming pool, sports hall, fitness suite, aerobics room, club room, refreshment area and new tennis courts in Simmons Park.
Members of the council?s economic, leisure and community development committee were informed at their meeting last Tuesday that the work was 12 weeks behind schedule and the expected completion date would be mid-September.
The Parklands sports centre is centred on a £3.2-million lottery grant and is expected to be a flagship project for the area.
Although it is being carefully monitored in order to restrict, where possible, any variation from the budget, additional costs have been incurred, such as changes to the tennis courts, landscaping, the electricity supply and the entrance.
The council?s director of community and services David Inman said quite a bit of money had been spent on the internals to make it right for the user.
?We cannot say what the final cost will be ? the overspend could end up being less than £75,000 or a considerably greater sum,? he said.
Mr Inman added that with all the ground work completed, it was unlikely there would be any major unforseen financial implications.