Plans for Two New Swimming Pools for Reading Announced

Plans are in place for two new swimming pools to be built, this is to be considered at the next the Council’s Policy Committee meeting.

The Council recommend that Reading’s ageing leisure centre to be improved with modern facilities as current ones are expensive to run. As there are 750,000 visits to Reading Leisure centres each year an improvement would be most effective for residents.  

Current estimates are that £10 million needs to be spent on maintaining outdated leisure facilities in the borough and bringing them into a good state of repair. £5 million of that total relates to the cost of fully upgrading Central Pool.

Instead Reading Borough Council is proposing:

• A modern new leisure facility for Reading incorporating an 8-lane, 25-metre competition swimming pool to replace Central Pool. The centre - which would take an estimated 4/5 years to deliver - will include full diving provision and a new five court sports hall to host a range of indoor sports. A sites option appraisal would determine the location of the new facility. The Council will seek a development partner in order to minimise the costs of the new facility.

• A temporary pool added to the existing Rivermead Leisure Centre to ensure continuous swimming provision in central Reading while the new competition pool (above) is built. The 25-metre temporary facility would be operational within two years, include a learner pool and have a lifespan of at least five years. Short term investment in Central Pool will allow it to remain open until the temporary pool is operational.

• A feasibility study to create a modern new neighbourhood pool at Palmer Park, linked to existing leisure facilities. The 6-lane 25-metre pool would be the long-term replacement for Arthur Hill Pool, which is dated and expensive to run. Arthur Hill has a limited life span and the building of a new pool would ensure continued swimming provision in East Reading when Arthur Hill reaches the end of its design life.