AN outdoor swimming pool that has been abandoned for three years will finally reopen – and will now be bigger.
Dartington Swimming Pool (DSP) in Meadowbrook Park, Devon was left abandoned after a structural failure back in 2022.
Now plans for the pool to reopen have be released, with a different shape and design than before.
Plans will see the pool fully refurbished, as well as the pool’s facilities upgraded.
The outdoor pool is heated and measures 25metres long.
The pool will be kitted out with equipment that is easy to use and reliable.
The project also aims to upgrade the small existing pavilion to provide facilities for sports and events.
Phase one of the project will see the development of a new ‘fit for purpose’ facility with an up-to-date, heated pool.
There design of the pool will be changed to allow for multiple uses including lane swimming, children’s swimming and accessible swimming including wheelchairs.
The pool will be extended to 25metres too and modernised changing facilities will be created.
As part of the plans, renewable energy will be used to heat the pool as well.
Phase two will start once the main pool upgrade has been done.
The pool would plan to be open to the public from May to October.
According to Devon Live, volunteer Helen Alipaz said: 鈥淭hat pool was a lynchpin of local life.
“And we think it鈥檚 high time it was brought back into service.鈥
The pool originally opened back in 1973 and used to be 20metres long and 10metres wide.
At the deepest end, it would reach 1.85metres and it was unheated.
At the time, it cost only around 拢3,000 to build.
The football pavilion was then built in 1998, after a fire destroyed the original in 1996.
Later in 2019, new management took over the pool and operated it through the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, in 2022, the pool liner gave way in several places and the pool was closed.
This weekend Meadowbrook Park will be hosting an Extravaganza to raise the 拢500,000 funds needed for the new pool.
There will be DJ sessions, bouncy castles, workshops and activities and even a new sauna to enjoy, near to the old swimming pool.
Tickets are donation based, with 拢5 suggested per household.
The pool is located just on the outskirts of the village of Dartington.
The picturesque village has a small community of only 876 people.
It is located to the west of the River Dart and south of Dartington Hall – a medieval Great Hall, Courtyard and Grade II* Listed Gardens.
Despite only being a small village, there is so there much to explore.
Growing up, Dartington Estate was a great day out and I even had my school leaving event in the gardens.
In the grounds there are food and drink venues, Deer Park trails and events.
There is even a cinema too in an old barn.
People can stay at Dartington Estate too – with a range of B&B options, hostel rooms, glamping and camping.
Over the summer months there are live music sessions on the expansive lawn and makers markets in the Great Hall.
The pool is also located within walking distance of The Cider Press Centre which has a focus on arts and crafts and boasts a curated selection of locally-sourced food and drink.
Many a summer I would spend in the independent Green Table Caf茅 with plenty of outdoor tables in the sunshine.
It is the perfect spot to grab a Devon cream tea, too.
Just down the road is also the beautiful historic market town of Totnes – which ties in to the perfect day out with Dartington and is home to many charity shops and independent gems.
I grew up in Totnes 鈥 but tourists always overlook it for flashier neighbours.
Plus, the stunning UK holiday hotspot with shipwrecks, seals swimming offshore and horseshoe-shaped waterfalls.