City's planned £36 million swimming pool could help make splash for ARU Peterborough
A £36 million swimming pool and sports centre will offer an opportunity for next door neighbour Peterborough university to share its expertise with the community.
ARU Peterborough’s principal Professor Ross Renton says the planned 25 metre pool and sports centre, which is earmarked for a site on the Embankment, will provide openings for academics and students to share their skills with the wider community.
The pool plans are being driven by Peterborough City Council, which is expected to consider a planning application for the sports development in October with a view to the facility opening in late 2028.
Prof Renton said: “We’re really looking forward to working alongside the council to ensure the new sports centre has some great opportunities for people in the region.
"That might be through shared opportunities around a range of free health clinics and labs that we can offer and put into it to support and work with the community as we continue to grow and expand.
“We will also look at new provision, new types of courses that can be supported either by having them delivered in that sports building or one adjacent to it.
But he added: “Just as important though is that the pool and sports centre will be another asset for the city as we are saying to people ‘come and study in Peterborough’.
The new swimming pool and sports centre will not be a part of ARU Peterborough.
But there are ambitious plans to grow the proposed seven phase ARU Peterborough campus, of which three phases have been completed.
Prof Renton said: “We have plans to expand.
"A future phase that we are working on is a industrial research facility.
"We also need further teaching facilities on campus.
"But we want to make sure it is done in the right way.
"It is about getting the balance right around that expansion and making sure it really is sympathetic and adds value to the city as well.
He said: “We will work with the city council around where that will be the most appropriate.
“There will be new buildings but where they go will depend on planning and
“We are working to expand the campus but it will be at the right time and at the right pace and will be dependent on funding that the government is able to support us with.”