A SWIMMING pool in Woodley has been closed with immediate effect, just weeks ahead of the building being demolished to allow for a new state-of-the-art facility to be built on the same site.
Last week, Wokingham Borough Council closed the pool and today it has said that as a result of asbestos discovered in the roof of the centre, it cannot safely be re-opened.
The problem comes from suspended ceiling tiles above the pool. The council said that these are moisture-damaged, and in danger of falling, and the borough council’s new demolition survey into the centre building discovered the asbestos in the void above them.
Only the pool has been closed. The rest of the centre and its dry changing rooms are unaffected.
Existing plans to relocate swim groups and pool users to Carnival Pool and Loddon Valley Leisure Centre when Bulmershe closed will be accelerated. However, the news is a blow for Reading residents who use the pool as a replacement to Palmer Park which Reading Borough Council closed last year, leaving the community without a swimming pool. It has also closed Central Swimming Pool in recent weeks.
Bulmershe Leisure Centre was constructed in the 1970s and most buildings of this age contain asbestos.
The Council said that closing the pool is a precaution.
If the tiles fall, the asbestos above could be released.
There has been no risk to swimmers until now, and it must be stressed there is no risk to users in the rest of the centre. In its statement, the borough council has considered replacing the pool ceiling for the last few weeks remaining, but the cost and work involved in this simply aren’t viable.
“We know that closing the pool will disappoint swimming groups and families, but we simply aren’t prepared to take the risk with the ceiling,” said Cllr Norman Jorgensen, executive member for environment, sports, environmental health, leisure and libraries.
“We were already planning to relocate these groups when the centre closed for good, so are doing all we can to speed up those arrangements, and ask people to bear with us.
“This discovery about the pool ceiling only vindicates our decision to invest in a new leisure centre. It has served Woodley well for the past 50 years, but the community deserves and needs a modern centre with modern facilities.”
The planning application for the new £14.54million leisure centre is due to be submitted at the end of March. Soft demolition is due to begin in May, stripping fixtures and fittings, with the building itself taken down during the summer holidays to avoid disrupting the neighbouring school sites.
Subject to planning permission, it would include a six-lane 25m swimming pool and teaching pool, with movable floors for a larger number of groups of ages and abilities to use, a bigger gym, a four-court sports hall, an additional studio, and a café. It all goes to plan, it will open towards the end of 2020.
The centre is currently being run by 1Life on behalf of the borough council. The new centre will be run by the council’s new provider Places for People Leisure.
