A million-pound, wave-shaped, Olympic-sized, accessible sea pool could open as part of an Isle of Wight seafront’s major regeneration project.
Swim The Wight, a community social enterprise, is fronting plans to build a sheltered, accessible, sustainable, low maintenance, eco sea pool in Yaverland, to help people become more comfortable and safe with the sea.
It could be built into the sea defences along the esplanade and be suitable for triathletes, local swimming groups and the general public to use.
Project leader, Sue Barker, said it could also have rock pools to one side and be accessible from both the esplanade and beach with a ramp to access the pool.
Swim The Wight has launched a survey asking residents, either swimmers or non-swimmers, what their attitudes are to the sea and what they would think of a sea pool. It is open until the end of September and can be filled in here: swimthewight.org.uk/seapool.
A science centre is also forming part of the plans, which could provide real-time water quality testing of the sea pool, and the rest of the Island.
The group has also been working with Southern Water to monitor the quality of the water in the Bay daily, and Sue hopes the real-time testing would allay people’s fear of pollution in the sea, and therefore in the pool.
Sue said it was just as important to make the sea pool accessible from the esplanade and the beach, as the stretch of sand from the Sundial Café in Sandown through the Yaverland Sailing Club is inaccessible for those with mobility issues.
Including the sea pool as part of the defences, could also cut costs by 90%, Sue said, with a freestanding pool ringing up around £10million, compared to £1million for the current plans.
The sea defences are currently in the process of being replaced as they have reached the end of their useful lives. If nothing is done to fix the sea defences in the coming years, it is estimated they could be breached within the next 5 to 10 years.
The Environment Agency is devising plans to fix the defences and will be consulting residents later this year, but Swim The Wight is hopeful the sea pool will be included as 1 of the best ways forward.
A challenge Swim The Wight now has is proving the pool would not have a negative impact on the marine environment and that it would also be a viable option, through a feasibility study.
The group is working with renowned architect Chris Romer-Lee, from Studio Octopi, who has designed pools in Scotland and Ireland and is currently working on a floating pool for the River Thames in London.
It is also using the expertise of local ecological engineers Artecology, based in Sandown, who create regenerative environments for marine wildlife among other things.
Leave the beach as it is, if you want to swim in a pool, go to a swimming pool, don’t try and turn the beach into one because not everyone wants it to be that way.
Clearly just a ploy to get the naive to think the council are doing something for their benefit.
But likely a strategic move for introducing building development infrastructure pre massive development ruins the whole area forever by close tickled Pink pals of our council
Would be nice to get some decent toilet blocks around the beaches before a million pound is spent on a pool
Here Here
Yaverlands toilets are 3rd world like IW Council.
I refuse to pay 50p to have a pee at the toilets nr the Sundial Cafe.
Cheaper to P@ss up the wall
It all sounds wonderful…
Lots of fluffy candy-floss clouds and unicorns…
You can bet that IF anything like the ‘plans’ come to pass, the on-going running and maintenance costs will ultimately fall on the locals in the form of an ever increasing Tax Precept, either that or it will fail and become another regeneration eyesore!
Also, REALLY SORRY, but, and with the greatest of sympathy and respect, when will people accept that not everyone can do/have access to all things? ie: the disabled not being able to use the sandy beach!
Will cost more to use some scanky sea water (car parking charges on sea front) than go to Heights. Hardly think 6 more people in sea is going to regenerate Sandown. You need toilet’s first to encourage people,services and canoe lake open would be better money spent.
A million pounds for what would basically be an outdoor pool immediately next to the sea?
Let’s just say that again, a MILLION pounds.
And yet, a couple of hundred metres up the road it looks like a war-zone with burnt-out, crumbling hotels, empty shops and a general feeling of decay and desolation around the town.
If you’re going to improve the area, start with the basics, not with million pound vanity projects which will undoubtably become a white elephant within a decade.
Sandown and Yaverland is actually a decent beach, it’s let down by the surrounding area not by a lack of beach and swimming facilities.
I like the idea of sea pools but don’t think they should be built in areas with significant anti-social behaviour problems.
Who’s paying for this???!?
If the council are involved anyone that dips a toe in the water after last week’s report about people using council land.
The rest of Sandown needs serious regenerating before money is spent on a pool and of course the town already has a swimming pool.
Totally agree, Sandown doesn’t need a sea pool when they’ve got the whole bay and a swimming pool. What it needs is a decent restaurant like a Harvester or Brewers Fayre, guaranteed to bring people in.
As a concept I can see its merit, as a reality, not a chance, for a start the figures quoted are never accurate and to suggest cutting the seas defence bill by 90 per cent, based on what scientific information, more likely trying to make the million pound outlay more palatable, could you have your sea pool and scientific water testing plant without the support of council money, if the answer is no , you have your answer. When the council is having to make huge budget cut backs I for one would strongly object to such a scheme that allows a very few people to have the luxury of a swim in the sea without having to contend with with waves.
The 90% reduction in cost mentioned in the report refers to the cost of the pool, NOT the cost of the defences as you have put.
Another utter waste of money, Sandown has one of the best beaches on the Island but it is ruined by the active sewage outfall at Yaverland, so where do they propose building this white elephant, that’s right next to the outfall and all the lovely sewage can get into the pool and not even stand a chance of being washed away.
Pipe dream surely ???
Sue Barker is clearly barking mad when she thinks building this on the best beach on the Isle of Wight is feasible or needed. A really good indoor pool is the answer full size with diving boards and a really good sports hall for gymnastics and tennis courts /squash courts basketball,. Netball and indoor foot ball etc.
Give money to a new Sandown Leisure Centre and ensure all the island residents, holiday makers and disabled can access it when the weather is bad which happens quite a lot on the Island and help to promote healthy lifestyles in young and older people. This idea is so stupid it beats belief. Do you not realize it would get silted up and natural sea creatures would become trapped and then die, decay then produce bacteria??
OK folk’s I think you have missed the point here , this is going to be one giant communal mixed sex/gender potty !!!!!
So now we don’t need toilets!!!!! Yay a new potty… whoop whoop….
https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2023/aug/26/10-of-the-best-seawater-swimming-pools-in-the-uk-and-europe
Excellent plan. There are successful sea pools all around the coast of the UK, it’s proven technology. One has recently opened in Brighton which is worth a look. If the sea defences need replacing, this will enhance the coast in a sustainable way.
The new laughing stock of toursts
I think you’ll find GETTING NEW LOOS is way cheaper and way more important! Most folk would agree. Sandown will never be any better with a eyesaw pool at end
Is it meant too disguise the grand Hotel maybe! Better not be using OUR money for this ridiculous idea
And they can’t supply a toilet on the sea front at Totland.
The council have done nothing positive to stop the town and the hotel/restaurant sea front from decaying and now they want to take the only remaining feature, the beach and have a stab at ruining that as well. What happens if the work is started and the company goes bust ( sound familiar) We would then be left with nothing.
Concentrate on the central area of Sandown instead. Yaverland beach is a lovely wild beach as it is and should not be developed in any way. The central beach area is crucial for supporting the local economy, which consists of hotels, beach concessionaires, camp sites, pubs, shops etc. A million pounds would go a long way in updating public toilets, beach raking, bins, hanging baskets, nice lighting etc.