Newbury's Northcroft Lido set for June 21 opening

Northcroft Lido is scheduled to open for the summer season on June 21.

The open air pool, the largest in Berkshire, at Northcroft Leisure Centre in Newbury, dates back to the 1920s and is built on a flood plain fed by a bore hole, licensed by the Environment Agency. This limits the amount of water which can be extracted for the pool each year.

West Berkshire Council needs to empty and inspect the pool each year to ensure that it’s safe to open and undertake essential remedial work. However, this can only be done once the ground water level surrounding the pool is lower than the pool structure itself.

The council said that the lido was opening this month because the significant rainfall during May meant that the required ground water level had only just been reached.

It added that emptying the pool earlier would have increase the risk of the pool structure being compromised.

West Berkshire’s executive member for leisure and culture, Howard Woollaston (Con, Lambourn) said, “You know that summer has really arrived when the lido opens. It’s a fabulous facility and we’re pleased that so many people get to enjoy it.”

Pre booking of all sessions is being introduced for 2021 to ensure that shared areas such as changing rooms don’t become too crowded and people can enjoy their swim safely.

The lido will be available:

Monday to Friday 7.15am to 8.45am, 11am to 2.30pm, and 3.30pm to 7pm. Weekends and Bank Holidays 10am to 1.30pm, and 2.30pm to 6pm.

In addition the lido will be open on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm to 9pm for the popular ‘Twilight Session’.