London council to consider closing popular Thames Pool for good

London's most popular outdoor pool may be too far gone to save, or not worth saving at all, according to a report by City of London staff set to land before a council committee on March 21.

The report recommends decommissioning the Thames Pool due to continuing structural damage, along with concerns regarding infrastructure. 

Thames Pool, which was originally built in 1927, sees roughly 25,000 visitors each year, roughly 30 per cent of all outdoor pool visits in the London. It is also the only 50-metre outdoor pool in London.

"This is an incredibly difficult recommendation to bring forward since we know Thames Pool is a popular destination for Londoners of all ages during the summer season, but this is the most fiscally responsible option," said Jon-Paul McGonigle, the city's director of recreation and sport, in a statement.

Since the spring of 2022, major infrastructure issues were identified at the pool, which resulted in its closure for the 2022 season. An external consulting team told city staff that shifting ground, piping failures, and frost penetrating below the pool floor were all causes for concern stemming from the pool's location in the Thames River's floodplain.

According to previous city reports, flooding and high groundwater levels had made repairs, which have racked up a total bill of $238,500, necessary every year since 2016.

Options for consideration

The latest report slated for discussion by a council committee outlines five possible options on which steps should be taken for the pool's future. The first option would see the pool given the minimum amount of repairs possible to make it safe for use, which would be a short-term solution that would quickly bear fruit.

Option two includes extensive repairs costing roughly $600,000 that would also be considered a short-term solution, and option three includes a full rehabilitation of the site around the pool, offering long-term solutions, but costing the city roughly $4,000,000 over one year. Option four would include a complete rebuild of the pool, amounting to roughly $12,000,000 and 16 months of work.

Option five — which the report recommends councillors accept — is to decommission the pool, explore future opportunities, and possibly plan for a 50-meter indoor pool at a future community centre.

Another part of option five is to engage residents on the implementation of a future spray pad in the neighbourhood, something Ward 11 Counc. Skylar Franke believes would hardly fill the void of a full-sized pool.

Councillor's response

"Throughout my campaign and even the last couple of months, it's the question that everyone is asking me, like, 'What's happening with Thames Pool?' I do think it's an integral part of the community," said Franke.

Still, it's impossible to deny the current location of Thames Pool is less than ideal, considering its penchant for flooding only gets stronger year-by-year due to climate change, Franke said. 

One serious challenge to contend with if council moves to decommission the pool, would be finding a new location for a pool.

"Especially in Old South, there's not a lot of city owned property, very few parks, and very few recreational facilities," said Franke.

With the hard-to-justify cost of keeping the pool on life support, Franke tells CBC News she hopes to hear from her constituents on their thoughts regarding possible options to inform her ahead of council's eventual decision.

"We have to balance the community's needs on top of the financial impact, especially with tight fiscal budgets. I do think if this was built now, we wouldn't be building a pool in a flood plain to begin with," she said.

"It wasn't the news I was hoping to hear ... I think staff worked really hard to try and address this, so I don't think it's coming lightly to committee or council."

The recommendation to decommission the pool will reach the Community and Protective Services Committee on March 21, and council for a final decision on April 4.