Hackney,
28
February
2020
|
12:09
Europe/London

Paddling pools at London Fields and Clissold Park set to be replaced

The popular paddling pools at London Fields and Clissold Park are set to be replaced with new improved facilities, Hackney Council announced today.

The Council will be consulting paddling pool users at London Fields and Clissold Park on the type of replacement facilities that will be delivered.

While the Clissold Park facility will continue to be stand-alone, the London Fields paddling pool will be integrated into the wider project to deliver a new learner pool at the Lido site.

Both pools have come to the end of their life in their existing form and, given their popularity, cannot continue to be operated safely without major work, including the introduction of automatic filtration systems - which reduce water consumption and improve hygiene.

In order to facilitate the work, the paddling pool in Clissold Park will be closed for 2020 while consultation and work takes place, which is expected to cost up to £700k. London Fields paddling pool will be closed for longer while the new learner pool at London Fields Lido is developed.

The work forms part of a significant programme of investment in Hackney’s parks and green spaces, which the Council has prioritised - despite 40% funding cuts since 2010 - because of the immeasurable benefits to health and wellbeing that high quality green spaces can bring.

The investment to replace the paddling pools continues this commitment, along with other significant upcoming investment in other parks, including: £5m to restore Abney Park Cemetery, £130k on Daubeney Fields, £4m on improving Springfield Park, £500k to refurbish Fairchild's Garden and £2m for upgrading Shoreditch Park. This will take the total investment in Hackney’s parks and green spaces to over £17m over the next 3-4 years.

Cllr Jon Burke, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm
The paddling pools at Clissold Park and London Fields have come to the end of their life, and we want to invest in modern, sustainable facilities that can be enjoyed by residents long into the future. 

I am particularly excited about the work to deliver the new learner pool at London Fields Lido, which was promised in the 2018 Manifesto. This will not only significantly improve provision for local children, but also provide completely new opportunities for classes at the Lido and increase accessibility to leisure water for those with disabilities; broadening the appeal of this iconic facility to a whole new generation of users.

While we had hoped to avoid closing the pools during the summer months, this has unfortunately not proved possible because of the age of each facility, the scale of work required and the need for filtration to be introduced. I hope residents will be able to bear with us while we bring them better facilities.
Cllr Jon Burke, Cabinet Member for Energy, Waste, Transport and Public Realm

Clissold Park paddling pool was built in the 1930s and London Fields paddling pool was built in 1978.