Progress is made on £20m Newcastle leisure schemes

Progress is made on £20m Newcastle leisure schemes

25 June 2025

NEWCASTLE residents are to be asked for their input into the development of two major leisure projects planned for the resort which could cost in excess of £20m.

Specialist consultants are due to be appointed before the end of the summer to develop two separate planning applications for a new leisure complex at the Newcastle Centre and the redevelopment of the outdoor Rock Pool at South Promenade which has been closed for five years.

Both projects are key planks of the local authority’s corporate plan and a cornerstone of the organisation’s Active and Healthy Community Department’s business plan but won’t come cheap.

It has previously been suggested that the anticipated £12m cost of an ultra-modern new leisure facility — which would include an indoor pool — could potentially double to £20m, while the final bill to restore the crumbling outdoor Rock Pool at South Promenade could be as high as £7m.

The new leisure facility will be built at the rear and to the side of the Newcastle Centre, while various engineering studies have been carried out at the outdoor Rock Pool to determine its long term future.

Demolition work to bulldoze a rear extension at the Newcastle Centre to pave the way for a major new leisure complex has been completed, with the construction of the new multi-million pound leisure facility resulting in the removal of the outdoor Tropicana children’s play pool.

The new leisure complex is expected to feature an indoor leisure pool which will include three 30m swimming lanes and a dedicated heated play pool for children. The eagerly-awaited new facility will also feature an ultra-modern gymnasium.

At the outdoor seawater pool built in 1933, major work is required at the facility which enjoys protected status and was closed in 2020 due to health and safety concerns.

A specialist survey confirmed a number of major issues required urgent attention and that considerable costs were involved.

Expert engineers combed every inch of the iconic facility, with their work painting a picture of the next stage of work required which will require millions of pounds to bring it back into use and comply with disabled access legislation in particular.

Preliminary investigation work revealed a number of issues which require urgent attention and that considerable costs are involved.

The pool’s structural integrity was put under the spotlight and it was reported that the concrete structure had extensively degraded, while the filtration system to filter sea water was almost unusable, with seawater pipes so corroded that rust is coming off them and contaminating the water being filtered. 

In addition, the pool is unable to retain water as a result of cracks in the concrete and has been described as no longer fit-for-purpose, with one of the most significant concerns for council officials that the pool does not comply with current health and safety standards, with suggestions that a complete rebuild may required.

It is understood NI Water will have a major say on the future of pool after the Environment Agency determined that water from it could not be discharged into the sea as it will contain chlorine. 

As a result, it may have to be pumped to the nearby wastewater treatment plant at the harbour before it can be discharged into the sea, with suggestions that around 730 cubic metres of water would have to be treated at the plant once or twice a week, if the pool reopened to the public. 

A number of options for the future of the pool have already been discussed with suggestions that the local authority may join forces with the community in a bid to secure grant funding to carry out much-needed repairs. 

The local authority’s director of leisure services confirmed last week that once the design consultants have been appointed, there will be discussions with councillors and the public which will feed into the respective planning applications.

Leisure services director Andy Patterson said while he appreciated the projects “have been an extremely long time coming”, he hoped now that funding had been “we will see the progress we have all been pushing for”.

The local authority insists it remains committed to progressing the redevelopment of the Rock Pool.

“Preparatory work is ongoing to appoint an integrated consultancy team to progress the project through design, consultation and the planning application process,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The council is committed to exploring viable and sustainable development. A more detailed timescale will be developed once the consultancy team is appointed and work begins on design and planning.:”

The council said the scope of the work and associated costs will be determined through the design and technical assessment phase.