THE REDEVELOPMENT of the swimming pool at Merthyr Tydfil leisure centre which has been closed for four years is on track to be completed this autumn.
The council said that good progress is being made on the work, set to be completed in the autumn with the recommissioned facilities providing a 25 metre, six-lane main pool and dedicated teaching pool with a full swimming education programme.
There will also be a new splash pool designed to inspire water confidence for toddlers, and the changing facilities will be updated and redesigned.
The pool has been shut since December 2019 due to water leaks affecting the concrete and causing tiles to lift off.
After the council carried out surveys and found out what work needed to take place, Wellbeing@Merthyr, which leases the centre from the council, made the authority aware of its plans to redevelop the leisure centre including the pool.
The council has said previously that the first Covid lockdown hampered work and then more structural issues were found which weren’t previously known about and required much more investigatory work than initially thought.
The refurbishment will include decarbonisation measures such as replacing gas fuelled boilers with more efficient air source heat pumps, which is predicted to cut carbon emissions by 61% and create a more sustainable future for the centre, the council said.
The project is being delivered by leisure development specialist Alliance Leisure through the UK Leisure Framework.
A site has been launched online by Wellbeing@Merthyr (Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Trust) and the council to keep residents updated on the redevelopment of the pool at Merthyr Tydfil Leisure Centre.
As well as giving details of the building work progress, the page on Wellbeing@Merthyr and the council’s websites which can be found at http://merthyrleisuredevelopments.co.uk/ will include information on prices and membership offers that will be available across the whole centre.
Council leader Councillor Geraint Thomas said: “Learning to swim is a vital life skill which improves people’s mental health and wellbeing.
“Our residents have been without this swimming facility for too long due to structural problems. We are very pleased to be able to address these issues to bring these important community assets back into public use.”
Wellbeing@Merthyr chief executive Jane Sellwood said: “We can’t wait to welcome swimmers new and old back into the centre. It’s been a difficult time for all the staff, but we are grateful to the County Borough Council and our colleagues there who have worked so closely with us to investigate and rectify the structural problems and source funding.”
Alliance Leisure business development manager Gillian Dunster said: “These works will not only give the people of Merthyr Tydfil access to a local pool for the first time in four years but will also help the Council to meet its carbon reduction ambitions to benefit the community both now and in the future.”
