Demolition work at Raac-affected pool due to begin

Work to demolish a swimming pool where reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (Raac) was found is due to begin on Monday.

Peterborough City Council said a city centre car park near the Regional Pool would need to be closed for 16 weeks.

Raac was discovered in September 2023 at the Bishop's Road site, which has also had issues with asbestos and out-of-date mechanical installations.

The building's demolition is expected to take until July and it is hoped a replacement pool, built at an estimated cost of £30m, will be open by 2028.

The Labour-run council's leader Dennis Jones previously admitted there were no cheap options to rebuild the site.

The authority also said it would have cost £26m to repair the facility, which was built in the 1970s.

The decision was made to permanently close the centre in March 2024 due to high repair costs.

It is expected the council will award a contract to build a replacement facility by January 2026.

Cabinet member Mohammed Jamil said: "Following a soft strip-out of the Regional Pool building earlier this year, we are now ready to begin formal demolition.

"Unfortunately this will mean that the car park is closed temporarily, however there is plenty of parking available at nearby car parks in the city centre."

Peterborough's Lido is currently the only public swimming pool in the city centre.

The council initially proposed to mothball the outdoor pool to save £400,000 a year, but reversed the plan after opposition.

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