New pool to open at weekend after lengthy delay

4 hours ago

Clare LissamanWest Midlands

News image — The new indoor swimming pools are opening on 11 July

Warwick District Council An aerial view shows a large green park with open grassy fields and winding footpaths. In the foreground, a modern building with a flat, solar-panelled roof sits beside a small body of water. Surrounding the park are clusters of trees casting long shadows, and beyond that, a dense residential town stretches across the background. — The new indoor swimming pools are opening on 11 July

A new swimming pool delayed by the discovery of medieval ruins at the site is set to offer free sessions on its opening weekend.

The multi-million-pound facility at Abbey Fields in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, will open to the public from 07:30 BST on Saturday and people can book lane, family and inflatables fun sessions, Warwick District Council has said.

Everyone Active, which runs the centre, said the opening would give people a first look at "Kenilworth's beautiful new community hub".

The project, which includes two indoor pools and a conservatory-style cafe, took about six months longer to come into being after ceramics and buildings, some from the 13th Century, were found.

Everyone Active A swimming pool with flags going across it and the numbers 1 to 5 on a wooden board in the background. — People have been invited to the Kenilworth leisure centre this weekend

At least five buildings were found during work at the site in 2023.

Connected to Kenilworth Abbey, experts believe the earliest may have been a kitchen or guesthouse.

The modernised pools replaced an outdoor pool at the site, which closed in 2021.

Some Kenilworth residents campaigned to save the lido, which had more than a 120-year history.

Campaigners argued there was "overwhelming support" for the lido to remain and its closure meant generations of children would miss out on the joy of an outdoor pool.

But the district council said consultation showed a "year-round" pool would better suit schools and the area.

The new family pool with its movable floor would facilitate a wide variety of water-based sessions and would be accessible to people with disabilities, the council said.

Medieval building structures. The site is brown and stony with a section of pipe in it. The area has been excavated. — At least five medieval buildings were found at the site in 2023

Meanwhile, in Warwick and Leamington Spa, the district council hopes within a couple of weeks to give the new opening dates of the revamped paddling pools in St Nicholas Park and Victoria Park, which were delayed by more than a year.

"Work is progressing at both sites, and the wetpour areas that previously failed have now been removed," the council said.

The new surface could only be laid once the concrete was dry, the council added, but it was "on track" for the Warwick pool to open towards the end of July and the Victoria Park pool provision soon after.

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