Richmond Swimming Pool is nearing reopening after an 18-month closure and a £1.65m repair bill.

North Yorkshire Council says the work at the facility is entering its final stages, with swimmers set to return before the end of the year.

The pool closed in April last year after a partial ceiling collapse.

The repair work has included replacing part of the ceiling, removing sealed asbestos from the roof space and carrying out mechanical and electrical repairs.

The exterior of Active North Yorkshire Richmond. Vital repair works that will allow swimming facilities to reopen to the public are entering their final stages.

placeholder image — The exterior of Active North Yorkshire Richmond. Vital repair works that will allow swimming facilities to reopen to the public are entering their final stages.

During the closure, the council has also upgraded the heating system and improve lighting around the poolside and in the customer café.

Scaffolding has now been removed and preparations are underway to welcome swimmers back.

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for leisure, Coun Simon Myers, said: “It is great news that the pools in Richmond are getting closer to reopening.

“Since the closure, we have overseen an extensive programme of repairs and improvements that will help secure the future of the pools and ensure customers can enjoy high-quality leisure and wellbeing facilities in the heart of the community.

“Alongside some essential works, including the removal of sealed asbestos from the roof space, we have taken the opportunity to make a number of wider improvements that will directly benefit customers, such as upgraded lighting and heating.”

He said the council had been determined to ensure the repairs were completed properly and to a high standard.

“We know how important these pools are to residents, and throughout this project our priority has been to ensure all works were completed properly and to a high standard.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in the project, as well as residents and customers for their patience and cooperation while the work has been carried out.”

The closure was another setback for a leisure centre which had already received significant investment from the former Richmondshire District Council before the authority was abolished in April 2023.

Richmond councillor Stuart Parsons welcomed news that the pools were nearing reopening but criticised the need for further substantial spending so soon after the previous investment.

He said: “It’s been a long time coming.

“It’s absolutely appalling that Richmondshire District Council invested so much money in the pool towards the end of its existence, only for North Yorkshire Council to have to spend more than £1m on it again.

“Hopefully, the pool will now remain open for years to come, and I would encourage everyone to get behind it and use the facilities.”

Councillors voted in favour of supporting the repair works in October last year after residents expressed support for reopening the pools.

A public consultation found that 91 per cent of respondents considered it either very important or moderately important that the facilities were retained.

More than half said they used the pools at least once a week.

The repairs at the pool, which the council has renamed Active North Yorkshire Richmond, form part of the authority’s wider £40m leisure investment strategy, which includes improvements to facilities in Selby, Skipton, Pickering and Whitby.

The gym at the site is among 12 council-owned leisure hubs set to benefit from a separate £3m programme of gym and fitness equipment upgrades.

The council says further details of the reopening will be announced in the coming weeks.