Reading Borough Council is progressing with its plans to build two modern new swimming pools for Reading.
A modern 8 lane 25 metre competition standard pool (including full diving facilities) will be built at the Rivermead site to replace Central Swimming Pool which will close on 31 January 2018. In east Reading, a new 25 metre community pool will be built in Palmer Park (linked to existing leisure facilities) and will replace Arthur Hill Pool.
Arthur Hill Pool and Central Swimming Pool were ageing and expensive to run facilities. They required major investment in order to bring them up to an acceptable standard, and even then they would have had a limited lifespan. Both centres are now closed.
The Council is choosing to team up with a leisure provider and invest in modern new sport facilities which residents will be able to use for many years to come. We are in the process of identifying delivery partner through a detailed procurement process, which is ongoing. We expect to be in a position to put in place a new leisure contract by Summer 2018 and that construction of both new pools will begin later in 2018. The current timetable is that both new pools will be open for public use by 2020.
In the meantime, the Council has built a 25-metre 5-lane demountable pool at Rivermead Leisure Complex (which is in addition to the existing swimming pool currently on the site). Rivermead is managed by GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited) in partnership with Reading Borough Council.
The demountable pool provides an additional swimming facility pending the construction of the two new pools. Temporary demountable pools of this kind are of a high standard and have successfully been used in other parts of the country. The demountable pool opened for public use on 15 January 2018, and was followed by the scheduled closure of Central Swimming Pool on 31 January 2018.
The above was laid out in a report to the Council’s Policy Committee in October last year www.reading.gov.uk/media/6229/Item-11/pdf/item11-leisureupdate.pdf
Consultation on Draft Palmer Park Development Framework - January 2019
The Council is consulting on plans for the future of Palmer Park. The Draft Palmer Park Development Framework is a planning document which looks in particular at how a new swimming pool could be accommodated within Palmer Park, as well as other options for improvement.
Closing date: 22 February 2019