‘High chance’ leisure centre main pool will shut for repair works
DRAINING LIKELY WHILE SMALLER TRAINING POOL IS FIXED
THERE is a high chance the main pool at Hull’s Ennerdale Leisure Centre will close when repairs to its smaller one take place, the council’s leader has said.
Hull City Council Leader Cllr Mike Ross told LDRS the draining of the main pool was currently the most likely option when works take place.
The leader added works to repair the smaller training pool would be done when they will cause the least disruption and the council remained committed to the leisure centre’s future.
It comes as investigation works are currently taking place ahead of the repairs after the council’s cabinet approved £250,000 in funding for them last month. The probes follow the closure of the small pool at the leisure centre, in Sutton Road, after pipes under the building split in March 2022.
The splitting of the pipes is thought to have been caused by the drying out of the ground underneath the building while tree roots have also spread under it. The rest of the leisure centre, including its 25m competition swimming pool, has stayed open since the smaller teaching one’s closure.
A report to the council’s cabinet in April when funding for the works was signed off stated repairs would take place in autumn at the earliest. The draining of the main pool was one of several courses of action recommended for the works.
It follows refurbishments worth almost £1.8m done from 2019 to 2020 which saw the centre’s mechanical and electrical pool systems replaced and upgrades to its reception and dance studio. Cllr Ross said the council recognised the works would mean a level of disruption but added they were needed to make the leisure centre fit for the future.
The council leader said: “If the pool is going to have to close then it’s a chance to look at what can be done to improve the offer there. There’s a high chance the main will have to be drained because of the potential impact, there’s works currently taking place to assess what needs to be done.
“The dates for the works themselves still need to be worked out but it’ll be when they will cause the minimum amount of disruption, there’s discussions currently taking
place around that. We’re very much committed to the building, we recognise how important it is to the community, people come from all over Hull and further afield to use it.
“We’re looking at what can be done to improve the facilities there, but there’s not a great deal I can say at this stage.”
Ennerdale Leisure Centre was built in 1985 and features a 25m competition pool and small teaching pool, a sauna, steam room and changing rooms. It also has a fitness suite, sports hall, the region’s only all-weather 1km cycling facility and a dance studio.