City's £36m swimming pool could open by 2028

A new 25-metre swimming pool has been proposed in Peterborough to replace a former facility

A new £36m swimming pool for Peterborough could open by 2028, the city council confirmed, after the previous one had to be bulldozed due to structural issues.

Councillors approved the local authority's preferred option of a 25-metre, eight-lane facility to replace the city's former Regional Pool at a meeting on Tuesday.

Peterborough First councillor and deputy leader for the city, Mohammed Farooq, was among some who questioned why a previously suggested 50-metre Olympic grade pool was not selected.

However, head of communities Ian Phillips said the smaller design would be "financially viable".

The Regional Pool on Bishops Road has recently been demolished after reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac), which has a limited lifespan, was found in its construction.

The authority previously said it would cost £26m to repair the facility, which was built in the 1970s, so it opted for a new pool to be built instead.

A decision was made to permanently close the site in March 2024.

At Tuesday's cabinet meeting, councillors backed the option of a new 25-metre pool complex, which would also include a 20-metre four-lane learner pool with moveable floor, seating for 300 people, a café, soft play centre, health suite and community rooms.

However, the site would require significant external funding from several sources.

Mr Phillips told cabinet members at the Labour-led authority that the new pool could open by 2028, if all went to plan.

"Once we've got the project green-lit and the money is in place, we would expect a design and build process of around two to two-and-a-half years," he said.

"If the money in place by April, then we might be talking about 2028-29 as a rough estimate of when the pool might be open to the public."

The Regional Pool was impacted by reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) before it was decommissioned last year

Earlier this year, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves unveiled a £240m Growth Mission Fund in her Spending Review and said a new pool in Peterborough could qualify for help.

Mr Phillips said the council would be pursuing a bid, along with other funding opportunities provided by Sport England, Living Sport, the local Combined Authority and the private sector.

Mr Farooq and Conservative councillor John Howard questioned if the council was being ambitious enough by not opting for a larger pool, but Mr Phillips insisted the process was a "balanced mix" to meet everyone's needs.

"The pool at 25 metres will be financially viable for the council. It will generate a small surplus, enough to pay any borrowing costs back and a small surplus back to the council," he said.

"A pool double that size would not do that and very likely would require the council to subsidise it for the next few years."

Council leader Shabina Qayyum, Labour, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "At this moment in time, what seems deliverable and realistic, and us being an open and honest administration, is to try and put forward a case for something for our city that would come sooner rather than later and we can maintain for many years to come."