A Royal splash!

The Royal Commonwealth Pool will close on 28 June for two years for a complete refurbishment.

The work, costing £37 million, will be the biggest single investment by the Council in sports facilities in a generation. Edinburgh Leisure is working hard to ensure as much as possible of the swimming programme can be relocated to other pools during the closure.

The property is A-listed by Historic Scotland, meaning that the scope for architectural changes to the building is limited.

Nevertheless, the building will be gutted and the existing pool tanks removed. Three new pool tanks will be installed, including a 50m pool with a moveable floor and boom (so it can be split into two sections) and two new 25m pools – one for recreational use and one for diving.

The diving pool will be equipped with a state-of-the-art array of platforms up to 10m high and there will also be a dry dive gym for training.

New changing rooms will be built, as well as a new fitness gym, dance studios and café.

Architects S & P have worked on many prestigious pool projects, including London’s Olympic Pool for the 2012 Games.

The Royal Commonwealth Pool will host the diving event of the 2014 Commonwealth Games. In so doing, it will become the only sports facility in the world to have hosted three Commonwealth Games, the others being in 1970 and 1986.

NEED TO KNOW

For more information on the pool closure and to keep track of works, visit www.edinburghleisure.co.uk

Meadowbank makeover

Meadowbank Sports Centre is also undergoing refurbishment to keep the buildings and facilities fully operational in the run-up to London 2012 Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014.

The £1.45m package of works will include a partial refurbishment of the changing rooms and toilets, resurfacing the athletics track, repairs to the stand seating, general redecoration and mechanical and electrical works.