Former Peterborough hydrotherapy pool left 'decaying' as city still has no replacement

As Peterborough waits for a new hydrotherapy pool, there has been anger and frustration as the home of the old pool lies ‘decaying’ and unused.

Peterborough City Council announced the St George’s Hydrotherapy Pool in the city would be ‘mothballed’ in April last year.

There were plans for the building to be used by the Heltwate School following the closure – but other than being opened as a polling booth for this year’s local elections, the site appears to be unused.

Earlier in the summer, a trial to run replacement hydrotherapy services at Lime Academy in Orton was scrapped by the council.

Now Karen Oldale, St George's Friends and Service Users' Lead, has spoken of her frustration at seeing the old, much loved site looking ‘forlorn and neglected.’

She said: “It was so sad and incredibly frustrating to see St George’s hydrotherapy site evidently unused, and looking so forlorn and neglected now.

"This was made all the harder knowing how well-loved and highly valued the pool had previously been by thousands of local people who had paid to use it.

“This really is a most shameful waste.

“The Council Cabinet’s decision to go back on Full Council’s decision to sell the pool for community use comes at a terrible cost.

“Now the city has no community hydrotherapy service, leaving users’ health and wellbeing deteriorating. For some it’s been devastating. It’s not even benefitting Heltwate’s pupils who used to attend the pool.

“The site that previously delivered so much now appears to lie decaying and depreciating.

“I think St George’s service users and residents are entitled to feel decidedly let down and frustrated at the current situation.”

Andrew Pakes, who is the Labour candidate for Peterborough at the next general election added: “The council’s act of vandalism towards the hydrotherapy pool highlights all that is wrong in politics. Where is the ambition, compassion and can-do attitude to fix things and make life better for people?”

A spokesperson for Peterborough City Council said: “We have commissioned a consultant to look at how the buildings can be remodelled to increase the space available to the school on the St Georges site and will then consider our options.”

Plans for a new hydrotherapy pool at the Thistlemoor Medical Centre were submitted earlier this year – and later withdrawn. Dr Neil Modha, who is behind the plans, said he was expecting to re-submit the plans soon.