Swimming Pool
Built by the community in 1975. Being rebuilt by it again.
Our pool has a plan. Now let’s build it.
We now have a detailed, professionally costed plan for the new pool and a five-year business plan showing how it can run sustainably. That moves us into a new phase: raising the money to build it.
Where we are
- Planning permission granted February 2025, with support from 334 people and no objections
- Solar panels installed 80 panels and battery storage on the pavilion roof, ready to heat the pool
- Costs estimated by independent construction cost consultants
- Business plan complete a five-year plan for running the pool sustainably
- Fundraising underway we have raised money already and are continuing to raise more through grants, trusts, developer contributions and community support
- Aiming to reopen in 2028
The detail behind the numbers
£1,093,000 is the independent cost estimate for the pool. It comes from our five-year business plan and covers the full build plus professional fees, a risk allowance, inflation up to opening and VAT. Some costs can’t be known until the project goes out to tender and building starts, so we will keep this page updated as the numbers firm up.
This target is for Phase 1: the pool itself. That covers extending it to 25 metres, a new tougher liner, modern filtration and the pool surrounds. There will be some extra costs on top: the pavilion will need some work so the pool can reopen with suitable changing and access. Phase 2 is the full pavilion refurbishment, with new changing rooms, toilets, a reception area and a café. We will fundraise for it separately.
2028 is our plan, not a promise. There is still a lot to do, from securing the funding to appointing contractors and building. Opening in 2028 depends on how quickly we can raise the money.
Plans for the new pool
The designs have been shaped by years of consultation with the community and key user groups including local schools, Totnes Sub Aqua Club, Bidwell Brook, Lifeworks and The Brook. Inclusivity, sustainability and the environment are at the heart of everything.
Our fundraising target for the pool is £1,093,000. Thanks to Section 106 funding, grants and our own fundraising we have made a good start, but there is a long way to go and every contribution matters.
- 25-metre swim lanes:extended from 20 metres to allow proper lengths, with room for up to four lanes
- Warm water:heated by air source heat pumps powered by solar PV on the pavilion roof, with batteries to maximise the energy generated. Read more about our energy systems →
- Extended season:mid-April into October, with the potential to open all year round
- Improved shallow end:wide corner steps for families with young children and easier access for everyone
- Full accessible access:especially important for Bidwell Brook, Lifeworks and The Brook
- Sub-aqua ready:a thicker liner so Totnes Sub Aqua Club can use their equipment safely
- Modern changing facilities:non-gendered changing including accessible and family cubicles
- Sustainable build:excavated earth used to create a Devon bank, UV filtration and automatic dosing to minimise chemical use
A pool built by the community, for the community
Dartington Swimming Pool was built by volunteers from the local community over a couple of summers in 1975 and 1976. The playground mounds nearby are partly made from the earth that was excavated to build it.
Since then it has been a thriving hub, with many local families having generations learn to swim here. It is, in every sense, a pool that has been run by the community for the community.
Sadly, in September 2022 the liner badly tore and exposed the rotten underlying structure. The pool was unable to open in its current state and has remained closed since. But the community that built this pool has every intention of building it back.
The journey so far
In 2020, a small group of volunteers began thinking about what a pool refurbishment could look like. After consulting 235 local households, researching pool standards and working with architects, here is where we have got to and where we are heading.
A working party forms, consults 235 households, engages schools and user groups, and commissions Andrew Kirby Architects for the pre-planning application.
The liner tears and exposes the rotten structure underneath. The pool closes and the work to rebuild it steps up.
Full planning permission for the new pool, backed by 334 people with no objections.
80 solar panels and battery storage are installed on the pavilion roof, ready to heat the new pool. Read about the energy hub →
Independent construction cost consultants produce a detailed estimate, and a five-year business plan shows how the pool can run sustainably.
We launch our £1,093,000 fundraising drive, building on money already raised with the help of supporters including the Gibbons Trust, The Normans Family Charity Trust, South West Water and Thrive.
Grants, trusts, developer contributions and community fundraising, then tendering and construction.
Our target for swimming again at Meadowbrook, if the fundraising goes to plan.