Repair works that will allow the swimming facilities at Active North Yorkshire Richmond to reopen to the public had entered their final stages, North Yorkshire Council said in a release issued on 26 October.
The pools were forced to close in April last year following a partial collapse of the ceiling. Since then, the council has overseen a £1.65 million programme of works to secure the future of the facility, following widespread public support for saving the pools.
01Ceiling, lighting and heating works
According to the council, the project was nearing completion at the time of the release, with scaffolding having been removed, and the centre was getting ready to welcome customers back through its doors by the end of this year.
The programme of work includes replacing part of the building’s ceiling, mechanical and electrical repairs, the installation of enhanced lighting both poolside and in the customer café, and upgrades to the centre’s heating system. Lighting upgrades of this kind are a common feature of public building refits, and our earlier piece on specifying recessed downlights for visual comfort in commercial refurbishments looks at some of the considerations involved.
North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “It is great news that the pools in Richmond are getting closer to reopening.”
He added: “Alongside some essential works, including the removal of sealed asbestos from the roof space, we have taken the opportunity to make a number of wider improvements that will directly benefit customers, such as upgraded lighting and heating.”
Cllr Myers also said: “We know how important these pools are to residents, and throughout this project our priority has been to ensure all works were completed properly and to a high standard.”
He said the council looked forward to sharing further details about the reopening in the coming weeks.
02Public support for saving the pools
Councillors voted in favour of supporting the repair works in October last year after residents expressed support for reopening the pools. More than half of those surveyed said they used the pools at least once a week, with 91 per cent saying it was either “very important” or “moderately important” that the facility was saved.
North Yorkshire Council is responsible for 13 leisure and wellbeing hubs, including 12 swimming pools, and three community wellbeing hubs. It oversees Active North Yorkshire to promote health and wellbeing in communities across the county.
03Wider leisure investment
The council said the Richmond repairs support its leisure investment strategy, with a total of £40 million earmarked to transform leisure services in the coming years.
Of this, £36 million will be invested across Active North Yorkshire sites in Selby and Skipton, as well as centres in Pickering and Whitby. An additional £3 million will see gym and fitness equipment upgraded across a further 12 leisure sites overseen by the authority, including Richmond.
Details and image via North Yorkshire Council.
