Summer closure for Riverside Pool

Riverside Pool will close over the summer while its heating systems are replaced.

Though the gym will remain open with reduced hours, the pools will be shut from 1 December to February 2025.

The three summer months are Riverside Pool’s quietest as there are more swimming options for residents, with Nayland Pool re-opening after winter and the beach and rivers becoming more tolerable, in addition to many pool-based clubs taking a break or using alternative facilities.

There were 23,000 visitors to Riverside Pool last summer, down 6,000 from mid-year figures when Nayland Pool is closed.

The pool’s heat pump and air-handling units have reached the end of their lives and need to be replaced with modern equivalents. The replacement will cost almost $800,000.

These works are the third phase of a multi-year pool upgrade that began in 2018.

Earlier phases focused on efficiency and electrical upgrades and have cost a total of $430,000.

Nelson’s pool facilities are ageing, leaking, and require significant investment.

An independent report put the cost of simply maintaining the existing network between 2021 and 2031 at almost $4.5 million.

Major redevelopments for the city’s pools explored in the report put the cost for Riverside at $27.8m while Nayland could range from $38.9m to $45.8m depending on whether a 50-metre lane pool is retained.

The council has not opted to pursue the redevelopments in the next ten years, though it has provided for $8.4 million for maintaining both pools over the same timeframe.

That maintenance bill does not include the $800,000 for the heating system upgrade.

If the council had opted to redevelop Riverside Pool this decade, the heating upgrade would still have been needed as it the redevelopment would not have yet begun.

The three-month closure will allow time for the old units to be deconstructed, removed, and replaced by the new system which will require strengthening works because the new units are heavier.

Other foundation works and roofing repairs will also take place while the pool is closed.

Swimming lessons, except those for babies, will move to Nayland Pool with the same schedule during the closure, with a plan for babies currently being developed.

Pool members will be able to put their memberships on hold until Riverside re-opens.

Many of the lifeguards at Riverside Pool will be given similar shifts at Nayland Pool during the works, while some staff might fill gaps at the Richmond Aquatic Centre.

Ahead of the summer period, the changing rooms at Nayland Pool have been spruced up.

The Nayland facility is boasting a full summer schedule of activities, including hosting the local chapter of the Z Manu World Champs, with the lucky winners to be sent to the finals in Auckland.