The flumes at Aberdeen’s Beach Leisure Centre have thrilled kids and parents alike for more than 30 years. But are they gone forever?
Nobody grew up in the city without plunging down The Pipeline, The Tube, and – if you were brave – The Wipeout.
Sweeping in and out of the building, the iconic blue tubes have been an integral feature of the beachfront skyline since 1989.
But though the pool itself has reopened after the pandemic, the flumes remain shut.
My own kids loved them as much as I did as a kid in the 1990s.
Top of their list of things to do during the Easter holidays, with life finally emerging from Covid, was ‘the flumes’.
‘Probably never’ reopening
At the front desk I was told the flumes were closed. Thinking this a Covid-related restriction, I asked when they might be opened again.
“Probably never”, I was told, on account of their age and condition.
The kids were naturally disappointed, but we went in to the pool itself for a couple of hours.
Admittedly I don’t see the world through a child’s eyes anymore, with all the sense of wonder that entails. But as I sat in the shallow pool and looked around, it looked like nothing had been done to the place since I went there as a kid three decades ago.
I’ve since asked other parents their thoughts. They all decried the lack of flumes, which was always the main reason to go there.
‘A depressing puddle’
One described the pool complex as a “depressing puddle”.
Another complained that the pool is now only open for four hours on Saturdays and Sundays (1pm to 5pm).
And it’s not only the flumes which are closed to the public. The sauna, steam room, and Studio gym area are all out of bounds.
Sport Aberdeen, which runs the Beach Leisure Centre, states on its website that it has “no sustainable plans to reinstate the flumes at present”.
The future of flumes in the city hinges on the outcome of Aberdeen City Council’s Beach Masterplan Review regarding the future of the venue. A progress update on this is due to be given at the June meeting of the full council.
Previous warnings about standard of ‘ageing’ facility
Sport Aberdeen warned in its annual report in 2019 about the challenges faced by the ageing facility.
In 2013 it was fined £8,000 after a 12-year-old boy suffered serious leg injuries on one of the flumes, which didn’t have enough water.
Alistair Robertson, Sport Aberdeen managing director, said: “The flumes at the Beach Leisure Centre remain closed due to issues surrounding sufficient ventilation rates within the flume tower, coupled with continued ageing of the flumes and associated mechanical plant.”
On the sauna and steam room, the Sport Aberdeen website states they won’t be reopening either.
“This is primarily due to the lack of sufficient ventilation in the area, meaning we cannot guarantee our compliance with guidance for this area. We have the same issue with the adjacent Studio, and this will also remain closed for group exercise.”
Sport Aberdeen, a charitable trust, is an arms-length organisation that receives millions in council funding and controls most of the city’s sport and leisure facilities.
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