Outdoor swimming pool set for £400,000 upgrade

Facilities at an outdoor swimming pool built in 1936 are set for a £400,000 upgrade.

A Derbyshire Dales District Council report details plans to improve Hathersage Swimming Pool in the Peak District, 10 miles (16km) north of Bakewell.

The report states the venue in Oddfellows Road needs an upgrade to meet modern standards, with energy efficiency set to be a key feature.

Solar panels and insulation are included in the plans, as well as upgrades to the reception, staff welfare, first-aid room, and manager area, as well as new toilets and a dedicated disabled toilet.

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, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

A platform lift for disabled users would also be added to improve access, accounting for £30,000 to £50,000 of the total cost.

The district council pays Hathersage Parish Council to help run the facility at a rate of £18,225 for the current year, with Dales residents gaining a 10% discount.

The report shows the estimated total cost is in the region of £300,000 to £400,000, plus architect costs and planning fees for the upgrades.

The required funding is expected to come from the district council, 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.

The official opening in 1936 saw more than 400 people watch a water polo match and a police swimming demonstration.

It was built following a donation from local razor blade manufacturer George Herbert Lawrence, nicknamed "the fairy godfather of Hathersage".

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.

The report added that 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.

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