Report - Riverside Swimming pools & Leisure Centre Chelmsford Essex (June 2019)

[Zqls17]

In 2015 Chelmsford City Council announced plans for a new £25m revamp of the Riverside Ice and Leisure Centre with a new pool and fitness studio.
The plans, which will be located on the existing car park site alongside the ice rink, will include a new ten lane by 25m long swimming pool with flexible barrier and depth control, a 10m x 10m leisure pool with splash zone and sensory equipment and 300 spectator seats.
A 120 station fitness gym and studio plus spin studio are also planned for the new facility.
The ice rink will also remain in place but the current swimming pool and leisure centre will be demolished once work is complete and turned into a car park.
However, there will be no outdoor pool or diving facilities available in the new centre.

The outdoor pool, which was closed in October 2014 following an asbestos scare was filled in during 2016 and turned into a 70 space car park.

The original leisure centre opened on the 11th September 1965, including a 12.8 x 33.5m 6 lane pool with adjoining diving pit, fixed seating for 271 spectators, ice rink,, diving platforms, learner pool, sports halls, gym, creche, children's indoor soft play area, restaurant and treatment rooms.

Designed in-house at Chelmsford Borough Council by Architect J. R. Bishop and Engineer E. P. Allen. It was built by Costain Construction Ltd and cost £279,500.

After lots of set backs and delays work finally started building the new centre in winter 2017

And finally opened June 2019

The explore
This has been on the cards as a must ever since it was announced it was going to close
Another personal one for me very local spent most days of the school holidays here growing up and many memories of this place.
After speaking to someone i know that works here he explained that the old site will be demolished strait away due to lack of parking spaces so decided to hit this a week after it closed.
heading down at 5am access was easy but this place is a building site all round. Climbing over some harris fencing i noticed a security guard sitting in a site office where the outdoor pool was after sneaking past him i was in.
builders have already started stripping the place luckily the pools were untouched just drained and diving boards removed
didn't fancy getting in the soft play, sports halls and pump rooms as they were sealed up with tones of asbestos removal sheeting
lots of rooms have had all the wood work stripped out door frames etc.
Spent a couple hours in here undisturbed thankfully the toilets were still working.
Enjoyed this one brought back loads of childhood memories when life was easy lol.

Externals

learner pool

main pool

one of many asbestos tunnels

changing rooms

admin

through one of the sports hall windows

new centre

I got ontop of this place ages ago but never got inside ! Nice share