Major Peterborough swimming pool works get go ahead as council leader says 'we couldn't have waited any longer'
A £3.8 million refurbishment of Jack Hunt pool is set to go ahead after Peterborough City Council’s cabinet agreed to accept nearly £800,000 of funding from Sport England.
The works are set to start in Spring 2027 and be completed by September 2027 – and with the replacement for the Regional Pool not yet completed, it will leave the Lido as the only public swimming pool in the city.
Despite concerns raised by residents about the lack of swimming facilities during the closure of the Jack Hunt Pool, council leader Shabina Qayyum said the authority had not option but to close for the works.
Speaking at the meeting of the council’s cabinet on Tuesday (July 21), cllr Qayyum said: “I know that there are questions from the public around 'could we not have delayed the work,' but when you have an air venting system that has health and safety implications, we are thinking about bacterial infections like Legionella that can make people quite sick, it is important that we make these decisions in a timely manner.
"We simply couldn't afford to wait any more and place the public at risk.
“And we also recognise that we have a professional swimming team within the city, so it is about making sure we have the right provision for those training for swimming.”
Cllr Qayyum also spoke about the increased provision for swimming when the new leisure centre in the ‘sports quarter’ at the Embankment is completed.
The Jack Hunt pool was built in the 1970s, and has had little refurbishment in more than a decade.
Councillor Zameer Ali, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Safety, said: “Jack Hunt Swimming pool is an important community facility supporting school swimming, learn to swim programmes, public swimming and wider health well being of people across the city. The pool is aging and needs significant refurbishment.
“This work needs to be done to reduce operational risk, improve accessibility, inclusivity, and protect the long term future of the facility.”
He added: “Investment is needed now to reduce the risk of unexpected closures, protect this very important public asset, and help ensure Jack Hunt swimming pool remains available for future generations.”