Thames pool, London’s oldest and busiest outdoor pool, will not open this summer. If it gets approved, we may be able to see a 2024 re-opening. Its long-term future however is still uncertain. During a meeting on Tuesday, politicians voted to get more information on how to handle the situation. It was also agreed that there was not enough time to have the pool ready for this summer.
“Hear me loud and clear when I say that Thames pool is our home away from home for July and August,” explained Cheryl Smith single mother who attended the meeting “Summer camps as a single mother, are not always on my budget, and therefore having affordable summer activities is essential to our mental health and well-being, please don’t take this from my family.”
At the meeting, Ward 2 Councilor Shawn Lewis said he believes the time for the pool has ended, and repairing it is just not realistic. ” If anyone thinks for a minute that our staff rolled out of bed thinking let’s decommission the pool, you are very wrong,” he says “The information that we have, very strongly suggests that the time for the Thames pool at this location has passed.”
There are a few possibilities on the table for the future of the pool. The cheapest would be a normal temporary repair, which could cost the city more in the long run and the most expensive option and less viable would be a complete overhaul of the pool which could cost the city upwards of $12 million dollars.
The most extreme option would be to shut the pool down all together and turn it into a splash pad for the summer.
A final decision on the future of the pool will be made on April 4th