Plans to begin the £2 million upgrade of Bucksburn Swimming Pool have been lodged as the council pledges to get it back up and running.
The Kepplehills Road venue closed last April following harsh budget cuts that saw funding to operator Sport Aberdeen being slashed.
But, thanks to a huge community campaign and a legal challenge threat, the council made a drastic U-turn months later.
Now a year and a half on from the plug being pulled, the local authority has finally taken a step towards opening the doors once again.
It came as councillors discussed the latest Sport Aberdeen annual report.
They were informed that the plan to reopen Bucksburn Swimming Pool was moving ahead as funding for the project had been approved.
Will anything change at Bucksburn Swimming Pool?
The planning documents outline a number of upgrades that will be carried out at the pool including a plant room extension and changes to the main entrance.
Meanwhile, a rooflight will be added to the ceiling and the southern side of the roof will benefit from a new covering.
Inside, the layout of the facility will remain largely unchanged however the disabled toilet will be extended.
‘Lack of investment’ blamed for Bucksburn pool closure
The Bucksburn facility was a big talking point at the finance meeting.
Conservative councillor Richard Brooks asked for assurance that the council would reopen it as he didn’t want residents to “lose faith” in the process.
Meanwhile, Labour councillor M. Tauqeer Malik urged the council to press ahead with the repair work as soon as possible as he blasted his SNP and Lib Dem rivals for ever forcing it to close.
Committee convener Alex McLellan slammed the previous Labour administration and claimed a “lack of investment” over many years was to blame.
He said: “The facility was left in an incredibly poor condition, the plant was in need of replacing and we are doing that.”
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He went on to explain that the repair work was so significant it would not be possible to carry out while the pool was still open.
When will the pool reopen again?
Mr McLellan revealed that the contract for the refurbishment work hasn’t been signed yet so it is “impossible” to give a timeframe for the project.
“£2 million investment can’t just be carried out next week, it’s obviously not going to be open by the end of this year,” he explained.
But, he is hopeful the works will be completed and the doors finally reopened next year.
“It’s no secret we are investing in it and we will see it recommissioned,” he stated.
Mr McLellan also claimed that the now boarded up Beach Leisure Centre met a similar fate due to the previous administration.
The committee was told that demolition of the venue and its much-loved flumes was currently ongoing with a final knock down date earmarked for June 2025.
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