By Joe Locker, Local Democracy Reporter
Nottingham City Council has released images of what the new Victoria Embankment paddling pool will look like once complete.
The council closed the pool in 2021 due to leaks and said it could not afford to fund the repairs.
However, a public consultation last summer “confirmed overwhelming support for a replacement paddling pool facility” after more than 2,100 residents said they wanted to see it refurbished.
It had served generations since the 1940s.
A brand new paddling pool, splash pad and new pumping system is now planned for the site, alongside water jets.
The council says the repairs will take place after it secured £750,000 from Section 106 contributions from property developers, a Government Levelling Up grant and a successful National Lottery Heritage Fund application.
Cllr Kevin Clarke, the leader of the Nottingham Independents and Independent Group, said: “I think it is a great idea.
“The problem is if they had not under-invested in it in the first place and maintained the pool, they would not have had to do this.
“That is where I used to live and grew up, the Meadows, it is criminal it has been closed for so long.”
The city council says it is expected the new pool will be finished by Easter next year.
The Labour-run authority is now asking residents to view the designs and let them know what they think via a consultation form.
Councillor Corall Jenkins, Portfolio Holder for Energy, Environment, Waste Services and Parks at Nottingham City Council, said: “The original pool dates back more than 70 years to the 1940s, while the current plant equipment was from the 1980s.
“This made maintaining the facility extremely challenging, both in a practical and financial sense. Parts were increasingly difficult to source and often very expensive.
“Understanding the level of public support for a new facility and wider need within the city, the council made this a priority and began to explore avenues for how the funding could be raised externally.
“This need was further underlined by the ongoing cost-of-living crisis as families have stayed at home more during the summer holidays – many would have visited the paddling pool if it was not closed.
“We’re really pleased to have been successful in applying for funding through a variety of sources to move ahead with the project and are excited to now be able to share our plans with the public.
“A modern facility is likely to draw people from a wider area than just the Meadows, given people across the city loved the paddling pool so much. We know how important this is to the people of Nottingham.”
