[Val Verde]

Article in todays YEP regarding the closure and moving of the International Pool to South Leeds stadium.

In with the new and out with old as Leeds gets in the swim

Leeds's new £16.5m international swimming pool and diving centre will open its doors at the end of next month.

And while the finishing touches are added to the centre, the existing Leeds International Pool in Westgate is preparing to celebrate its 40th anniversary on September 23 before it shuts permanently on October 21.

The anniversary celebrations will include a day of free activities, guided tours of the building, free swimming and fun events for kids including aqua gliders and sea scooters. During the rest of the week there will be free admission – if people have in their possession some form of old coins. A DVD featuring memories of swimmers has been made to help preserve the history of the pool and will also be available.

Coun John Procter, executive councillor for leisure, said: "The Leeds International Pool has had a fantastic life and has been the home of famous international athletes as well as our dedicated public swimmers.

"The DVD shows how the LIP became more than just a swimming pool to many."

The pool is to de demolished to make way for development. But as one door closes, another opens.

Building work at the aquatic centre at the John Charles Centre for Sport, Beeston, is now finished and it will open on October 29.

The facilities include a 50m pool, diving centre, aerobics studio and muti-use rooms.

Two submersible booms built into the main pool will enable it to be divided into three separate pools of different sizes and depths, allowing a more flexible, daily swimming programme. A floating floor allows the depth to be varied from two metres to shallow water for teaching. The pools are also suitable for major national and international swimming and diving, with seating for 650 overlooking the main pool and 150 overlooking the diving area.

Coun Procter, said: "Leeds City Council is incredibly proud to have such a complete aquatics centre to give to the public. The new facilities will accommodate even more customers, local groups and clubs as the Leeds International Pool has.

"Leeds's reputation for swimming is outstanding and this will hopefully help us to discover more Olympians to follow in the footsteps of Adrian Moorhouse and James Hickman, while providing a pool for the public to benefit from as well."

Construction work began in April 2005, funded through a Sports Lottery award of £5m and from the sale of the current Leeds International Pool site.

Goodbye to the International Pool. Whilst personally I disliked the building it does have many supporters and I would have prefered it had the replacement opened in the city centre as opposed to South Leeds Stadium which outside of sporting events I would guess due to its isolated location to be dead. Still at least it is not too long prior to the start of construction for the Spiricle tower. Is this starting immediately after closure and has it been granted planning permission? Has the new swimming pool secured any high profile swimming events yet?

 

[Naboo]

Plans for a new 25m swimming pool at Leeds Uni. It will be open to the public and is alot more central than South Leeds Sadium. The start date is supposed to be late 2007/early 2008 but I don't know if it's been approved yet?

http://www.leeds.ac.uk/sport/pages/news/november/swim_pool.htm


I'm not a fan of the International Pool so will be very happy to see Spiracle in it's place.

 

[leonardhenry]

So long old Inernational Pool, or Olympic Pool as we called it as kids in our fancy

I'll never forget the time I saw a tramp have a poo on your outer staircase

 

[LeedsLad]

I bet the tour would be quite interesting - in it's heyday it had many more facilities than those currently available including turkish bath, steam rooms, jewish baptism pool, restaurant etc - all hidden from view now

 

[wiggleyleeds]

its a shame there will be no pool in the city centre anymore. Obviously selling of assets like this is worth more to the council. I dont think this is right. They could have done a joint venture with private enterprise that created a large mixed use scheme that included a full length pool and leisure complex, with 35 storeys of appartments on top that would "subside" the lesire part making it attractive to the private invester. A win win situation.

Leeds' lacks decent swimming pools as it is. When we go swimming we go to sheffield or donny or barnsley. Its an embarresment that we have to travel so far for a decent swimming pool.

 

[LeedsLad]

That was my thought at the time - why not let the developer have the land for free, but in return the council gets the ground floor of the tower, including 50m pool....

 

[kierancy]

The swimming pool at uni wont be that far away and it will be opan to the public.

 

[wiggleyleeds]

yea but its not the same as a dedicated city swimmng pool and leisure complex, like Ponds Forge in sheffield, or the metrodome in barnsley or doncaster, its just a make do 25m pool

 

[leonardhenry]

Dunno if this was ever posted?

OCATION: Leeds
SECTOR: MASTERPLANNING / Sports & Leisure / Lifestyle

A short-listed competition scheme for the Olympic Pool site, the proposals offer a range of new uses centred around high quality public realm. Key to the design concept is the network of connections to the surrounding historical, physical and visual urban fabric.

 

[Leeds No.1]

I havent seen that. I like it though yes, but isnt this the site for The Spiracle- ie this scheme wont be built?

 

[leonardhenry]

Well it was shortlisted in a competition, a competition presumably won by Spiracle

 

[Rob]

The Spiracle was the winner of a design and bidding competition, so that will have been another entry. I prefer the Spiracle though, by a long way.

 

[Even Flow]

The scheme above was a DLA ( I think) entry for the site, Make and HBG/ Barratt won the competition with the Spiracle. There was a third entry, which was the Kite Tower. (also Make).
Last time I heard, detailed design was underway, but I dont think the scheme yet has permission. (Or has even applied.)
Worringly, I also heard it is to be a phased scheme over 7 years hno: , hopefully the tower is early in the scheme.
The bridge which is important to the scheme (and should be early on I would have thought) is being done by Arup's, so it should be quite an interesting piece if their other work is wnaything to go by.

 

[Even Flow]

 

[Leeds No.1]

Any pictures of the inside? We need as many as we can get before its demolished!

 

[LeedsLad]

Thanks for those! Maybe you could send them to Leodis...

 

[tomd89]

Found this photo on leodis of the interior of the pool when it first opened

 

[leonardhenry]

When I was a kid it would be on Grandstand all the time. Well, not all the time, but most swimming meets in the UK were held at the International and the BBC carried many of them

 

[Even Flow]

 

[tomd89]

I wonder if the white plastic sparkle-shaped bits lit up once?