A wider programme of works is being undertaken at two popular swimming pools to bring more improvements to customers at the North Yorkshire venue.
The pools were forced to close in April last year following a partial collapse of the ceiling at Active North Yorkshire Richmond.
We have since agreed to oversee a £1.65 million programme of works to secure the future of the pools, with the main phase of repairs underway.
This includes replacing the building’s ceiling alongside mechanical and electrical repairs, and the safe removal of sealed asbestos from the roof space.
While the pools are closed, alongside the essential repairs, a series of further improvements are also being carried out. These include enhanced lighting both poolside and in the customer café, as well as upgrades to the site’s heating system.
As a result of these additional improvements, together with some extended work required for scaffolding installation, the overall programme has been slightly adjusted, with completion now expected by the end of this year.
Executive member for leisure, Cllr Simon Myers, said: “We are all looking forward to the reopening of the swimming pools at Active North Yorkshire Richmond and want this to happen as soon as possible.
“Alongside the essential repairs, we are also taking the opportunity to deliver a range of wider improvements to ensure the facilities are of a high standard and ready for the community when they reopen.
“We know how important the site is to residents, and it is therefore vital that the work is carried out correctly and to a high quality.
“We will continue to keep customers and residents updated as the work progresses, and look forward to welcoming people back when it is safe to do so.”
Councillors voted in favour of supporting the repair works in October 2025 after residents expressed widespread support for reopening the facility.
More than half of those surveyed said they used the site at least once a week, with 91 per cent feeling it was either “very important” or “moderately important” that it was saved.
While the Richmond building is being repaired, customers can use pool facilities at neighbouring Active North Yorkshire sites.
The repair works support the authority’s wider leisure investment strategy, which was developed following the launch of the new Active North Yorkshire service in 2024.
As part of the strategy, the council approved a multi-million-pound investment in November last year, which will see £36 million invested across Active North Yorkshire sites in Selby and Skipton, as well as centres in Pickering and Whitby.
An additional £3 million is to be invested in a phased programme to upgrade gym and fitness equipment across a further 12 leisure sites overseen by the council, including Richmond.