Report by Local Democracy Reporter – Eddie Bisknell
The facilities at a 90-year-old Derbyshire outdoor swimming pool are set for a £400,000 upgrade.
A Derbyshire Dales District Council report details plans to spend up to £400,000 at Hathersage swimming pool in the Peak District, 10 miles north of Bakewell.
The heated outdoor venue in Oddfellows Road was built in 1936, and the associated facilities need an upgrade to meet modern standards, the report says, with Hathersage Parish Council rallying support and funding to lead the project.
Energy efficiency, including insulation and solar panels, is to be a key feature of the plans, alongside upgrades to the reception, staff welfare, first-aid room, and manager area, as well as new toilets and a dedicated disabled loo.
A platform lift for disabled users would also be added to improve access, accounting for £30,000- £50,000 of the total cost.
The district council pays the parish authority to help run the facility, at a rate of £18,225 for the current year, with Dales residents gaining a 10 per cent discount.
It says that for several years, the parish council has asked the district to keep the annual fee so it can be used for pool improvements in a lump sum, which now totals £91,125.
Parish officials have now requested £91,125, plus the annual £18,225, for a total of £109,350 for the overall project.
It says the estimated total cost is in the region of £300,000 to £400,000, plus architect costs and planning fees, to provide facilities expected in the 21st Century.
The remainder of the required funding is to come from the parish council reserves and King George’s Fields Foundation, now known as Fields In Trust, a charity set up in 1936 through King George V to promote and assist the development of playing fields and outdoor activities.
A statement from the parish council to the Dales authority states that while the district body has “subsidised leisure facilities at Matlock, Bakewell, Ashbourne and Wirksworth, they have made no contribution at all towards the north of the region”.
It says the district council has, for years, funded any losses incurred by the pool, in recognition of the lack of any other publicly funded facilities in the north of the district.
Construction, if approved by the Peak District National Park Authority, is expected to start in October or November next year, with a plan to be submitted shortly.
It says much more money will be needed to spend on further upgrades over the coming years, following this project, to the tune of a minimum of £750,000, for heating and filtration equipment for the pool itself, a new pool liner, pool covers, and changing rooms.
Parish officials say these “will all require replacement or substantial refurbishment over the coming years to maintain the pool as a modern and customer-friendly facility”.
The Dales council writes: “Providing improved disabled toilets and improving disabled access to the pool and facilities will bring positive improvements for disabled people, their families and carers.
“The proposed energy efficiency measures will positively contribute to reducing the overall emissions associated with operating the pool and reduce the overall energy costs.
“The addition of a solar panel array will improve running costs and ongoing operational sustainability of Hathersage Pool. The project offers a positive opportunity to contribute to improving the sustainability of the site.”
