Re-opening of leisure centres 24.7.20

We want to give you advance notice that having received notification from the Government about the reopening of Leisure Facilities from 25 July, we will be reopening our leisure centres and indoor pools from this Saturday (25 July), when Newton Abbot Leisure centre will open; followed by Broadmeadow on Monday (27 July) and Dawlish on Saturday 1 August. We are asking all our leisure centre user to pre-book all their sessions online, and we will not be accepting walk-ins. More information is available on our Teignbridge Leisure website.

Unfortunately the decision has come too late for us to be able to open the Teignmouth Lido for the remainder of the season. This is because reinstating the facility will incur significant costs and time to ensure it is safe to use, and the building and surrounding grounds haven’t had their usual pre-season tidy up. Our staff will be focused on the reopening of the leisure centres and prioritising the management of a safe return for our staff and users there.

The Lido runs at a loss every year, but we recognise how much local communities value the pool, and so offset the additional cost through income provided by other parts of leisure services. This year, however, the Council has lost significant income while the centres have been shut and must minimise its losses, and the costs of bringing the pool back into use, and the additional challenge of ensuring social distancing meaning that we cannot allow as many swimmers to use the pool, which means it is simply not financially possible to open the pool.

We understand this will be a disappointment to local residents but you will appreciate the Council has a considerable funding gap due to the Covid emergency and has had to make some tough choices. Our two indoor pools, located at Newton Abbot and Dawlish leisure centres will both be open and welcoming swimmers back to the water. And we would encourage any residents who love outdoor swimming to head to one of our beaches. The Council funds the RNLI to patrol Dawlish Warren and Teignmouth and these are safe for swimming and paddling.