Demolishing Regional Pool agreed by Peterborough council with price tag of up to £2.5m

Demolishing Peterborough’s Regional Pool could cost up to £2.5m.

Peterborough City Council’s (PCC) cabinet, led by leader Cllr Mohammed Farooq (Peterborough First, Hargate and Hempsted) agreed today (Monday, 11th March) to approve the decommissioning of the pool on Bishop’s Road.

But the cost will be offset by how much the value of the land the pool’s built on increases, the council says, and how much it will save on security and monitoring.

Built in the 1970s, the Regional Pool closed in September last year after “high risk” reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, or RAAC, was identified in the building.

Councillors then decided to keep the pool closed after it was revealed it would cost around £26.3m to repair, with issues including structural cracking, out-of-date mechanical and electrical installations and damaged asbestos.

Last year, £275,000 was also spent in response to Legionella bacteria being found at the pool on multiple occasions; the council says a further £25,000 would be needed to improve water quality. It also spent around £1m on a temporary car park.

PCC has also agreed to build a new pool, estimating that this will cost £30m, which is planned for completion in 2028.

The council is at an early stage of this project and, while the estimate is for a 25m pool, says it hasn’t ruled out a 50m pool.

Councillors voiced support for this suggestion at the cabinet meeting and asked whether a diving board could also be considered.

They also said it would take a similar amount of time to reopen the pool as it would to build a new one as it needs so much refurbishment to become safe to open.

The £30m estimate also includes a teaching pool, splash pool, cafe, sports hall, gym, clip and climb facility and soft play area.

The next step is building an outline business case for the new pool followed by procurement of an operator and developer.

The council expects to award a contract between September 2025 and January 2026, after which building work will begin.