Community pools open to public at Rivermead Leisure Centre in Reading

The gym and sports hall at Rivermead Leisure Centre opened in July 2023 - but the pools and splash zone are now ready for visitors. Credit: ITV News Meridian

New community pools are opening to the public today at a leisure centre in Reading.The gym and sports hall at Rivermead Leisure Centre opened in July 2023 - but the pools and splash zone are now ready for visitors.

It is part of the council's £40m pound investment in improved and more accessible leisure facilities across the borough.

Key features of the new Rivermead pools include a 25m 8-lane main pool with partially movable floor from poolside level to 1.80m deep.

A teaching and diving pool with 5 metre dive tower; 3-metre springboard and two 1 metre spring dives, with a moveable floor from poolside level to 3.7m deep.

A dive tower safety gate will be in place to prevent access to the tower when the dive pool floor is raised. Credit: ITV News Meridian

The investment was put towards accessible changing facilities with accessible toilet, shower, changing table and hoist.

There will also be ‘pool pods’ for both the main pool and diving pool to enable swimmers with limited mobility including wheelchair users to get in and out of the water easily and independently.

The new facilities are fully wheelchair accessible, with level access between the changing rooms and the pool.

Two spectator seating areas able to seat over 250 including 7 wheelchair accessible spaces.

The Rivermead facilities have been developed to BREEAM Excellent standards, which is the world’s leading sustainability assessment method. Credit: ITV News Meridian

Two air source heat pumps (ASHP) at Rivermead will equate to around a 75% reduction of the carbon emission rate of the new centre’s heating system and at their peak power, Rivermead’s impressive 770 solar panels will output over 296 kW.

Cllr Adele Barnett-Ward, Reading’s Lead Councillor for Leisure and Culture, said: "The new Rivermead Leisure Centre represents yet another significant investment by the Council and provides swimming pools that are both modern and fully fit for the future.

"These two new pools are part of our commitment to ensuring that everyone in the community has access to the resources they need to lead healthy and active lives.

“I’m proud to be able to say the centre has been built to BREEAM Excellent environmental standards and is designed to create an inclusive fitness environment so everyone in our community can join in and experience the benefits of physical activity.”

The Council is also funding the Physical Activity Referral Scheme where health professionals can refer patients to low-cost programmes to help improve, manage or prevent health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and depression.

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