Peterborough's Regional Pool could face demolition

Peterborough's regional pool was built in the 1970s but has been closed since September

Peterborough's main swimming could be demolished after the council was told the building would cost £26m to repair. 

The regional pool on Bishop's road was built in 1976 but has been closed since September.

Peterborough City Council (PCC) said about £15m would be needed for refurbishment and £11.5m for removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete.

The estimated cost for a new pool is £30m and could take until 2028 to open.

The plan for the new pool has included an eight-lane 25m pool, teaching pool, splash pool, café, sports hall, studio spaces, gym, clip and climb facilities and soft play and family area.

PCC's cabinet is expected to approve the recommendation to demolish the current pool and secure investment in a new facility at a meeting on 11 March. 

After this, the council is going to seek private partners to help deliver a new pool, council leader Mohammed Farooq told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"We're going to find the most appropriate position," he said.

"It may well be that same position or it may be a little bit further up on the embankment on that side or this side towards the lido."

The council hopes to produce "something fit for the next 50 to 70 years" which could help contribute towards its net zero ambitions, such as by installing solar panels, he said.

The council could change hands in May at the local elections if a party other than Peterborough First takes power.

Deputy council leader John Howard said: "The decision-making we're doing now and the plans we're making for the next few years: we're doing for the best of the city, not a political group.

"So, whoever does come in in May, and hopefully it is us, they have got the continuity in place to pick up the baton and carry on." 

The Conservatives, which have run the council for the past 20 years, also intended to demolish the regional pool and bring on board a private partner to deliver a new one. 

Former leader Wayne Fitzgerald Conservatives, West, recently said the discovery of removal of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was the "final nail in the coffin" for the pool.