'Commercial model' could fund replacement for Peterborough Regional Pool

Peterborough City Council is looking into ways to rebuild a regional pool despite the authority’s current financial challenges.

It was confirmed in mid-2024 that the Peterborough Regional Pool would be demolished after asbestos and reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) were found in the building.

The demolition process began in January 2025, starting with a soft strip of the site before full demolition of the building, which is due to start in spring.

Since the announcement that the pool needed demolishing, there have been calls for a new leisure centre, including a swimming pool, to be built in the city.

The matter of rebuilding the regional pool was discussed at a joint meeting of the scrutiny committees on January 29.

Council leader Dennis Jones confirmed the council is looking at a number of options, “none of which are coming cheap”.

Former leader, Councillor Wayne Fitzgerald, pointed out that there is “no provision for capital investment in the budget”, so questioned how the council would rebuild the pool.

Adrian Chapman, executive director of place and economy at the council, responded: “Officers have been working really hard on a very detailed proposal to bring a new regional pool facility to the city.

“It is, as Cllr Jones mentioned, exceptionally expensive. The model that we’re working on, save for the land because it’s in all likelihood to be on council land, the expectation is and the business model is based on there being no requirement for council investment.

“We think there is a commercial model here that would fund a pool to the specification that we would seek. The issue of land and whether that’s our contribution or not is to be worked through.

“This will come forward into the public domain in the not too distant future. There’s just a few more hard edges to knock off and a few more pencils to sharpen.”

The 88-year-old Lido is now the only public swimming pool in the city centre. The council initially proposed to mothball the Lido in order to save £400,000 a year, but reversed the plans following strong opposition from residents.

At the joint meeting of the scrutiny committees, Cllr Samantha Hemraj questioned the possibility of keeping the Lido open all year round.

Cllr Alison Jones, cabinet member for housing and communities, said: “What this has done is actually it’s brought the Lido into sharp focus in terms of what we’re going to do with it.

“There’s lots of things we can consider and we’re working with the Friends of The Lido.

“It’s things like: how long do we keep it open for? Can we look at covers for it? And what can we actually do to make sure we can maximise it for the city? Because obviously it’s the only pool we have available.”