New home for Peterborough’s Regional Pool will have underground car park - and hydrotherapy pool could move there

Peterborough City Council revealed last week that it plans to demolish the current building in Bishop’s Road and build a new facility at Pleasure Fair Meadow Car Park in Oundle Road.

This led to concerns about a shortage of parking in the city centre, with the Wirrina Car Park also set to become part of the new city university campus when it opens in two years’ time.

But council leader Cllr John Holdich told the Peterborough Telegraph that parking will be maintained at the new pool, stating: “The Regional Pool is past its sell-by-date and needs to be rejuvenated. We can’t keep spending good money after bad.

“We think this is a good place to put it. There will be a car park underneath it and we believe we can put the hydrotherapy pool in there as well.

“We need to get on with it. The finance stacks up. It’s cost an awful lot of money to maintain the current thing. The heating of the pool is very high. We need modern solutions to heating the pool which will save money considerably.

“The council has to prove its business case, get it designed properly and put into planning. Hopefully it will be open in a couple of years.”

Currently, St George’s Community Hydrotherapy Pool is based in Dogsthorpe Road, although it is shut due to Covid-19.

A council report has said the Regional Pool will reach the end of its operational life within the next five to 10 years. It was built in 1976 with a last refurbishment taking place in 2011.

If it was to remain at its current site it would need £6 million of work on it over the next decade, with around £4.5 million of that in the next two years, according to the report.

The proposed new building would have a 25m eight-lane main pool with 300 spectator seats, like the current pool.

The report says it would also have a minimum of a 15m x 10m teaching pool, sauna and steam and relaxation area, as well as a 150 station gym, although this could be boosted by water leisure facilities, exercise studios, a sports hall, soft play and a café.

It had previously been suggested that the Regional could be relocated to North Westgate - just north of Queensgate - as part of the site’s planned future redevelopment.

But despite that no longer being an option, Cllr Holdich insisted a leisure offer will still be provided at the site.

He added: “(The Regional Pool not moving there) doesn’t make a jot of difference to North Westgate. It will remain a leisure area.

“Nothing was fixed and there are other options. We will seek interest from parties. We’ve had interest in people before wanting a skating rink there.”

The land where the Regional is located is likely to be used by the new university and could be used for parking.

The nearby athletics track will also remain in place, Cllr Holdich confirmed.

“It was always my ambition to modernise it and we will continue to do that. At the moment there are no plans to move it but it needs some investment,” he said.