South Reading Leisure Centre pool could be upgraded in 2023

Reading Borough Council has recently unveiled a plan to spend a total of £331,000 on improvements, divided between two leisure centres.

A big chunk of the funding, £295,000, would go to South Reading Leisure Centre, where the council wants to conduct an upgrade to the pool and wet changing rooms.

If approved, work on the pool would start in the new year and be completed in Spring 2023.

The works would be timed to coincide with the opening of the six lane swimming pool at Palmer Park leisure centre, so swimmers in South Reading can use the new pool while their regular one is being upgraded.

The council also wants to invest an extra £36,000 at Palmer Park, which would go into improved wayfinding so visually impaired people can access the centre.

This would involve installing tacticle paving from the park to the centre, with the project being developed with the advice of visually impaired residents.

A screengrab from footage of the Palmer Park site back in January. Credit: Reading Borough Council

Adele Barnet-Ward (Labour, Thames), lead councillor for leisure and culture said: “I’m delighted that we are proposing further investment in improving the popular and well-used pool in South Reading.

“Although there has, rightly, been a focus on the new leisure facilities we’re delivering at Rivermead and Palmer Park, our improvements to the Meadway Sports Centre and South Reading Leisure Centre are just as important for local people.

“The council’s investment in these popular centres demonstrates our commitment to providing high-quality leisure facilities throughout the borough.

READ MORE: Reading leisure centre improvement works completed as part of £40m investment

“I am very grateful to the blind and partially sighted people who engaged with us over the Palmer Park tactile paving project.

“It is vital that the new pool and sports facility work for everyone, whatever their fitness level or accessibility needs, and this wayfinding will enable people with visual impairments to easily navigate the route across the park to the pool and stadium.”

The council has also successfully applied to have £1.5 million of its costs building the new leisure centres at Rivermead and Palmer Park paid for through Sports England funding.

Of that, £1 million will go to Rivermead and £500,000 will go to Palmer Park.

READ MORE: Extra council spending on new Rivermead and Palmer Park leisure centres approved

Cllr Barnet-Ward commented: “Confirmation of Reading’s successful bid for £1.5 million from Sport England, is further fantastic news for this major project, and our partnership and the investment from Sport England really demonstrates the importance of these new facilities for the town.”

The improvements to the leisure centres and acceptance of Sports England funding are due to be approved at the council’s policy committee meeting on Wednesday, September 21.