Peterborough City Council leader says 'plan is to knock down Regional Pool and build another' over cost

Peterborough’s City Council leader has said a “number of sites” have been identified to relocate the Regional Pool.

It comes as Wayne Fitzgerald told councillors at a meeting on January 25 that it would be cheaper to build another elsewhere.

“The plan is to knock the pool down and build another,” he said, adding that “the sooner we can do that the better, because the old one’s costing us a lot of money that we can’t afford”.

Cllr Fitzgerald (Conservative) continued that a “number of sites” have already been identified where the Regional Pool, currently located in the city’s embankment off Bishop’s Road, next to ARU Peterborough, could be relocated.

The Regional Pool has two swimming pools as well as a gym, sauna and steam room.

It is managed by Peterborough Limited, a company wholly owned by the council, and is used by adults and children alike, including for swimming lessons.

But this could change as Cllr Fitzgerald said the council will be “looking to the private sector” to deliver swimming facilities in future, including lessons.

But it’s not likely to go far.

Central ward councillor Mohammed Jamil (Labour) commented that he would “like to keep the Regional Pool where it is, within my ward”.

To this, Cllr Fitzgerald responded that “the intention is actually to keep it more or less where it is or very close by”.

In 2020, plans were revealed by this newspaper to demolish the current Regional Pool building, with the preferred site then being named as the Pleasure Fair Meadow car park on Oundle Road at the time.