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Swimming lessons to be reallocated across city when Beach Leisure Centre pool closes ‘temporarily’

The pool at the Beach Leisure Centre will temporarily close in August. Photo: Kenny Elrick/DCT Media.
The pool at the Beach Leisure Centre will temporarily close in August. Photo: Kenny Elrick/DCT Media.

Youngsters due to take swimming lessons at the Beach Leisure Centre will be allocated to a new pool after it closes.

Sport Aberdeen and Aberdeen City Council today announced the popular pool in Aberdeen will shut “temporarily” from August 21 due to “unsustainable” energy costs.

Alistair Robertson, managing director for Sport Aberdeen, said the decision had not been taken lightly – but could save up to £500,000, essentially protecting other venues across the city.

The pool will remain open throughout the summer holidays, and the “dry” facilities such as the gym, sports hall and fitness classes will continue thereafter.

A review on the future of the pool will be held in spring. If energy prices have eased, Sport Aberdeen say they will “hopefully” be able to reopen.

But in the meantime, hundreds of people have asked what the closure means for their children’s swimming lessons – with the waiting list already long as a result of the pandemic.

Aberdeen Beach Leisure Pool is being "temporarily" decommissioned
Aberdeen Beach Leisure Pool is being “temporarily” decommissioned. Picture by Amanda Gordon.

What will happen to swimming lessons?

The Beach Leisure Centre pool is one of the locations used for Sport Aberdeen’s Learn to Swim programme. They run swimming lessons for school-aged children 50 weeks out of the year with a two-week break over Christmas.

Sport Aberdeen has said all participants of the programme have been contacted directly about the pool closure.

The plan is to reallocate children to Sport Aberdeen’s other pools, such as Bridge of Don, Bucksburn, Cults, Lochside and Tullos.

The new pool at Get active @ Northfield is also expected to open this summer, and Sport Aberdeen has confirmed some children’s lessons will be reallocated here.

Refurbishment of former Northfield Swimming Pool is well underway. Supplied by Sport Aberdeen.

Lessons are also currently held at Aberdeen Grammar School, Dyce Primary School, Dyce Academy and Orchard Brae School.

Sport Aberdeen will be back in touch at the end of this month to let programme participants know where their lessons will continue.

Parents have also taken to social media to voice their concerns about the future of their children’s swimming lessons, with several saying it is already difficult to get a place.

Frank Burke wrote: “This is a joke, both my girls go here for swimming lessons. They have three different levels of swimming classes including baby and parents running every 30 minutes every weekday afternoon and also weekends.

“The amount of children that will lose places is unreal.”

Sara-Louise Paterson commented: “What a shame. It’s going to be really difficult to fit all those lessons in elsewhere. We’ve waited ages to get a space for my three-year-old. I hope they manage to fit everyone in elsewhere but it’s going to a hard job.”

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