Warwick District Councillors have approved plans to refurbish the paddling pool in Victoria Park, Leamington Spa. Read the Cabinet report for Refurbishment and Improvement to Existing Paddling Pools.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the maintenance work and refurbishment not done last year if you were aware of the problems with the pool?
At the end of summer 2023, when looking at the scheduling for next year’s opening, a discussion was had with the maintenance provider, which highlighted the scale and urgency of the repairs needed. It was clear that it was not practicable to open for 2024 without significant closures likely for much of the summer, plus unpredictable costs. At this point, we started working out options for refurbishment.
Why is Victoria Park paddling pool closing this summer?
Each year, we carry out repairs and maintenance to keep the paddling pools safe and avoid having to close them for long periods of time. However, over the years, the repairs have become more substantial and costly, so we have now reached a point where ongoing maintenance is not sufficient, and the paddling pool now requires a thorough refurbishment and upgrade.
The issues with Victoria Park’s paddling pool are so significant that preparation work needs to start now to ensure that the new pool will be ready to use next year.
Please reconsider this, unless it’s absolutely necessary for safety. If it’s because of preparation needed for refurbishment being done in the autumn, can’t the refurbishment(and therefore preparation) be moved back to a later date?
We understand the frustration of the paddling pool being out of use for 2024; the costs of getting the pool ready at Victoria Park would be significant with no reliable way of ensuring that closures will not occur repeatedly during the summer, adding to the cost and frustration to families wanting to use the paddling pool. The balanced decision made by Cabinet is to progress with the repairs of Victoria Park as soon as possible rather than a year of unreliable provision incurring extra costs.
We are aiming for St Nicholas Park paddling pool to remain open, although users will be required to use water shoes or equivalent.
The preparation for refurbishment has begun, and we are aiming to ensure that the Victoria Park paddling pool will be back for 2025.
Is there any way the pool can be considered at Victoria Park to remain open for the summer prior to work starting?
The issues with Victoria Park's paddling pool are so significant that preparation work needs to start now to ensure the pool will be ready for use next year.
We have considered how viable it is to keep the paddling pool at Victoria Park open for this summer. However, it is not considered to be a practical option for this year's summer; this assessment was agreed upon and supported by Warwick District Council's Cabinet on 08.02.2024.
Why is the upgrade to the paddling pool not being completed before the May half-term?
The scheduling of the necessary works includes contractor availability and time to get the specification design, the contractor and the equipment all in place before beginning to renovate the area. This is not achievable before the May half-term opening.
Why are the Paddling Pools not maintained in the winter?
We need the weather to become spring-like to assess the damage from the frost over the winter period and then make the necessary repairs before we can get the pools ready for opening at May half-term.
Is the paddling pool at St Nicholas Park safe to use this year?
Although the pool requires renovation, we have undertaken intermediary repair work during the spring including an anti-slip surface. Following health and safety checks we have authorised the opening of the facility for the summer season. The pool will be regularly monitored and if necessary closed temporarily for maintenance or cleansing, especially if volumes of visitors are high.
Why do water shoes need to be worn when using St Nicholas Park Paddling Pool?
As the pool has a new anti-slip surface all users should wear water shoes for comfort and cleanliness of the facilities. Please ensure that suitable aqua footwear or equivalent is worn (no trainers!).
Will St Nicholas Park paddling pool be closed next year?
The goal is for St Nicholas to be refurbished ideally during next year, ahead of the summer season, although this will be dependent on when we have the funding and also the availability of specialist contractors to undertake the work to ensure we have a paddling pool built to last.
Rather than closing both pools at the same time, we have made the decision to stagger the renovation work to main provision across the district, although we recognise that reducing it to one pool will increase demand at that site and that they may become extremely busy at peak times and during periods of warm weather. As such, if St Nicholas Park paddling pool closes next year, Victoria Park will be able to compensate in a similar way.