Pool revamp branded 'waste of money' after closure
BBCA project to upgrade a children's paddling pool has been described as a "waste of money" after the facility was closed again just over a year later.
The Victoria Embankment Paddling Pool in Nottingham was shut in 2021 due to leaks and other issues, but reopened in May last year after undergoing a £750,000 refurbishment.
However, the free facility was shut again on 24 July - and remains closed during the peak summer period - due to water quality concerns.
Nottingham City Council, which runs the pool, said "public safety remains our priority, and we hope to reopen the pool soon" but refused to answer further questions about the nature of the problem.
The work to repair and upgrade the splash pool, built in 1928, was carried out using government and lottery funding after a local campaign.
A new raised level to the splash pad, a drainage system, and an underground storage tank was installed to allow the water in the splash pad to be treated.
Parents have been left questioning why the pool is out of action again after so much money was spent renovating it.
Among them is Abi, a mother of two from The Meadows.
She has been visiting the paddling pool for the past 14 years and said her children learnt to swim in the original pool.
"It's really disappointing. There are not many [free] places like this," she said.
"It only recently reopened after being closed down multiple times over the years because of safety concerns.
"If there is supposedly something wrong with the water, why have they not got better filtration systems on it instead of constantly having to shut it down all the time? It's a total waste of money."
Anthony and Erin Best, from Mapperley, visited the paddling pool hoping to find it had reopened.
Erin said: "My husband grew up in The Meadows and this is our children's favourite place.
"If it was a private place it would be fixed relatively quickly.
"It's just very sad that one of the very few free resources is shut and there is no-one to be seen working on it.
"It's reminiscent of when it was just derelict for years, and now it looks exactly the same again, which is such a shame after all that investment."
Before the paddling pool reopened, the council said there would be regular checks to ensure it was safe and maintained properly.
The BBC has repeatedly asked the council what was found in the water to cause the pool's closure, what is needed to rectify the issue and who is investigating the problem.
But the authority has refused to provide further detail. Instead, it said: "As this is a new facility, we are continuing to monitor and refine the treatment system during its early operational phase.
"When we get further updates we will issue them appropriately."
A spokesperson for the city council added: "The paddling pool will reopen as soon as we are satisfied that all systems are operating as intended and it is safe to do so.
"We appreciate the closure is disappointing, particularly during the school holidays, and our teams are working quickly to complete the necessary checks and testing.
"Further investigation was required following routine water quality monitoring, so we took the precautionary decision to temporarily close the pool.
"As this is a new facility, we are continuing to monitor and refine the treatment system during its early operational phase.
"Public safety remains our priority, and we hope to reopen the pool soon."
The BBC has also approached the Environment Agency to ask if it is investigating.
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