Fears are surfacing that Keswick’s only public swimming facility may not reopen.
Keswick Leisure Pool has been closed since lockdown in March and although some other swim facilities in Allerdale have reopened from as far back as July, it remains shut, with no sign of any progress.
Markus Cambell-Savours, one of three Keswick representatives on the Workington-based authority, has held talks with senior council officials but he remains unconvinced that the town’s pool will reopen.
“My concern is that we are not going to see the pool reopen and that Keswick is going to get left without any swimming provision. The gym may be kept open — but I fear that pool ain’t going to reopen.
“So if it stays closed, will Keswick be offered assistance in accessing leisure facilities or be provided with alternative provision in the town?
“The triathlon club have members, in particular the kids, very excited about the pool getting up and running again.
“They want to be able to swim again. So too do lots of other people of all ages because of all the benefits it brings,” said the Labour councillor.
He said the heart of the current problem at Keswick was maintaining social-distancing while people were in the water, as required by Swim England.
This was much more difficult in its irregular-shaped leisure pool rather than a rectangular one where people can swim in lanes.
“There are no noises that the pool is going to open. I would like it to but if the physical nature of it prevents this, I can’t force the contractors to do so. So if it doesn’t, we must help those people by providing alternative provision.
“But I don’t know what alternative provision. It could be making arrangements with other facilities in the area, publicly or privately. We await a decision from Allerdale Borough Council and the contractors GLL,” Mr Campbell-Savours added.
Keswick’s pool in Station Road is run by national charitable social enterprise GLL under its Better brand.
It has a water slide, wave machine and walk-in layout popular with families but does not really cater for serious swimmers.
The Keswick Reminder has contacted Allerdale Borough Council and GLL on a number of occasions, but both have responded saying that no decision has yet been made about re-opening Keswick Leisure Pool.
