THE ageing Arthur Hill swimming pool in Reading is set to be closed later this year.

The 104-year-old pool at Cemetery Junction has been earmarked for closure on December 19.

The plan is for the complex to be replaced in up to four years' time with a six-lane swimming pool based at the Palmer Park Stadium.

The proposals will be considered by Reading Council's policy committee on September 26. 

Leisure chief, Paul Gittings, explained that they were forced to close Arthur Hill because it had become too expensive to run. It has been closed a number of times in recent years, and it would cost up to £700,000 to bring the Edwardian pool up to scratch.

Reading's lead member for culture and sport said: “The need to replace Arthur Hill has been known for some time now.

"Realistically, only a huge investment will allow it to remain open and unprecedented Government cuts means we are not in a position to invest money in ageing facilities with a limited lifespan." 

Despite making £65 million worth of savings since 2011, the cash-strapped council is faced with tackling an estimated budget gap of more than £41 million by 2020.

Cllr Gittings explained that the council plans to invest money from the sale of the Arthur Hill site into a new swimming pool in east Reading.

In the meantime, swimmers would be forced to use facilities at Central Pool, Academy Sport, Rivermead and Meadway Sports Centre.

Paul Gittings, Reading Borough Council’s Lead Member for Culture and Sport, added: “We hope people appreciate the council’s commitment to investing in a brand new replacement pool in the east of the borough, which in itself a big commitment given the severe budget constraints. 

“Of course we understand that for regular users of Arthur Hill, and residents who swam there when they were young, this is a significant step.

"The scale of Government cuts we face mean we have very little option, and the reality is Arthur Hill is on a constrained site with limited capacity and with very little scope for improvement. 

“By making this announcement now, we hope to give regular users time to plan for using the borough’s alternative facilities at Central Pool, Academy Sport, Rivermead and Meadway Sports Centre. This is preferable to having to close the pool with absolutely no notice when the current building inevitably fails.” 

Last November, the council announced that it would build a temporary demountable pool at Rivermead, adding to the existing leisure facilities.

This will include a new hourly bus service between Rivermead and the Town Centre from October - effectively an extension to the new route serving the new housing development at Kenavon Drive - comprising 11 buses per day from Monday to Friday, and eight buses a day at weekends and Bank Holidays.

The pop-up pool is expected to open by January 2018 following a planned closure of Central Pool.