Public swimming pool closes after part of ceiling falls down

A public swimming pool is set to be closed for several months after a part of the ceiling fell down.

Both pools at Richmond Swimming Pool have been shut until further notice.

The problems have arisen just weeks after the pool transferred from the management of Richmondshire Leisure Trust to North Yorkshire Council.

Councillor Stuart Parsons, division member for Richmond, said part of the ceiling fell down last week, and the whole ceiling may now need to be replaced.  He added: “You could patch it up and then after two months it’s got to close again because another bit falls off.
“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for leisure, Councillor Simon Myers, added: “Following an inspection of the ceiling above the pool area at the Active North Yorkshire facility in Richmond, we are continuing to work through possible solutions to deal with the issues. “This is essential so that we can continue to provide our customers with a safe and reliable facility.”

Cllr Myers said the pools would not be reopened until the work had been completed which he said “could run into the summer. Our café and the gym will remain open as normal. To help our customers stay active and maintain their well-being, we are looking into how we can offer them the use of our pools in neighbouring areas. We apologise for the disruption this will cause and would like to thank our customers for their continued support and understanding during this time.”

The issues after several years of issues for the venue. Richmondshire Leisure Trust bosses warned previously that rising costs and a drop in users were threatening the future of the facilities.

The former Richmondshire District Council came under fire in 2022 for giving the trust almost five per cent of its income to run the services — and then having to provide an extra £75,000 in funding to cover a 400 per cent increase in energy bills.

The council also agreed to pay compensation to the trust of up to £85,000 due to lost income from issues with a £1.9m revamp, which included a new heating system and solar panels on the roof.

The upgrade work took longer than expected and meant the pool had to close for several months in 2023 due to issues with the heating system.