Settle Area Swimming Pool

Friends and supporters of Settle Swimming Pool led by trustees chair Pat Taylor (centre) help plant a number of fruit trees on Craven Council owned land by Ribble Terrace in Settle to replace the trees that had to be removed to make way for the redevelopment work now taking place at the pool, which is on the opposite side of the river.

The six trees, included apples, and appropriately enough as the planting took place at Christmas time – two pear trees. The choice of trees and location was made in consultation with local Settle-based environmental groups and Craven District Council. 

Settle Swimming Pool was among the buildings in Craven damaged in storm Arwen in the early hours of November 27. A substantial amount of damage was done to the pool roof and as a result the pool will remain closed into the New Year.

Major redevelopment work is taking place at the pool at present and, whilst some damage was done to the building site, work was able to resume later in the week.

The roof damage, which was not connected to the building work, has led to water damage to the ceiling and some leakage onto the pool cover. The pool was closed on Saturday November 27 as soon as the extent of the damage was recognised. Classes, private hire and public sessions have all been cancelled until further notice.

The pool had been operating on a reduced timetable with temporary changing arrangements whilst the redevelopment takes place and it had been hoped to keep it open for most of the building work which is due to be completed early next summer.

The building is fully covered for insurance purposes and discussions are now taking place with the insurance company.

Great news for all treasure hunters and map reading fans...there's a chance to win a slap up afternoon tea at the Knights Table cafe and restaurant in Little Stainforth.

Quiz sheets for an exciting car treasure hunt are on sale until 31 October for £10 each at the Swimming Pool Fundraising Shop, 3 Duke Street, Settle BD24 9DU. You have until the end of this month to enter your answers to the clues. Good luck and enjoy your tea 😉 🍀 

Work on the long-anticipated major redevelopment of Settle Area Swimming Pool will start later this month. And, in a move certain to be welcomed by users, the pool will remain open on a limited basis for most of the planned 42 week project.

From Monday 4 October, the building will close whilst contractors contractors  commence, and adapt the building to keep the pool open and operational while the works are being carried out. The pool will close for 3 weeks and will reopen Monday 25 October. Nearer the time, we will announce our reopening arrangements and will provide details to our customers of what to expect when using the pool whilst building works are under way.

The £800,000 scheme involves the creation of a flexible dry-side area, suitable for health and wellbeing activities, including exercise classes and events. The changing facilities will be modernised, based on a cubicle and locker model – with additional facilities for families and disabled users. There will also be new shower and toilet facilities. The reception area will also be extended with catering and a viewing area.

This amounts to the biggest programme of work undertaken at the pool since it was constructed in the 1970s.

Following competitive tendering, the pool trustees awarded the contract for this work to the Kirklees-based Adamco company, who have extensive experience of construction work on comparable projects across the region; many of these involved working whilst normal business continued on site.

Plans for the redevelopment have been under discussion for a number of years and planning permission was given by Craven District Council earlier this year. It had been hoped to start work in the spring but difficulties posed by the Covid lockdown and subsequent rise in building costs delayed the project until now.

The work is being financed partly as a result of funds built up over the years by the pool itself and the associated charity The Friends of Settle Swimming Pool. There have also been major grants from a national sports body and from Craven District Council as well as grants and loans from other funding bodies.

One source of funding for the pool over many years has been through the paper recycling scheme run by the Friends of Settle Swimming Pool, however in recent years income has fallen as a result of the ending of North Yorkshire County Council recycling credits scheme  and subsequent drop in world paper prices. The scheme was suspended at the start of the Covid lockdown and it had been hoped to start again but a lack of volunteers has made that impractical and the pool trustees have now decided that there is no prospect of resumption in the foreseeable future. 

But whilst income from that source is no longer available the pool charity shop opened in 2017 has more than made up for the loss and is now generating income of up to £50,000 a year and as such is helping secure the long term future of the pool. 

Trustees’ chair Pat Taylor said: “We are delighted to have got to the point where building work can start. There has been a lot going on behind the scenes over a long period of time so it will be great to see the construction workers on site. Being able to keep the pool open during most of the work has been a great achievement and I know will be welcome by our loyal users.

“This is a community pool and the strong links with local people and local business have been a strength from the days when people worked hard to raise the funds to build the pool in the first place.  

“In this new phase we will be looking to strengthen those links. We are grateful to all the funding bodies but there remains a need for local fund-raising and we will be continuing to look to local people for their support.”