Royton Leisure Centre swimming pool to reopen with major improvements following £114,000 upgrade

The swimming pool at Oldham Active’s Royton Leisure Centre will officially reopen on 22^nd September 2025 following a comprehensive refurbishment programme that includes significant improvements to water quality, safety features and environmental sustainability.

 

The pool closed in August for essential maintenance after the existing pool tank lining began to fail, causing ongoing water loss. Oldham Active seized the opportunity to bring forward planned improvement works, investing £114,000 in upgrades that will benefit the community for years to come.

 

The largest portion of the investment, £78,000, was dedicated to completely replacing the pool tank lining and making improvements to the steps in the small pool. A further £26,000 was invested in water quality enhancements, including a new water filtration system, upgraded pool circulation infrastructure and the installation of new valves and piping in the plant room for superior water cleanliness. The remaining £10,000 was spent on new energy efficient lighting throughout the pool area.

 

During the upgrade, Oldham Active dechlorinated more than 700,000 litres of pool water and returned it to United Utilities for the North West water system, ensuring zero waste and preventing any environmental contamination.

 

Whilst the pool was temporarily closed, the Oldham Active aquatics team worked to relocate more than 1,100 swimming lessons to other Oldham Active sites, ensuring there was no disruption to children’s lessons. Royton Leisure Centre members were upgraded from ‘Classic’ to ‘Ultimate’ membership at no extra cost during the temporary closure period, providing access to all five Oldham Active facilities across the borough.

 

Councillor Peter Dean, Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure said: “The fantastic swimming pool upgrades will be a great benefit for the residents of Royton. It enables us to help even more people live happy, healthy lives. The Oldham Active team do a brilliant job supporting people to make healthier choices. So, for anyone thinking about taking that first step on their fitness journey, I couldn’t recommend their services enough.”

 

Stuart Lockwood, Chief Executive of Oldham Active, said: “We are incredibly proud to reopen Royton Leisure Centre’s swimming pool today with these impressive upgrades. While we understand the frustration caused by the temporary closure, the pool is now back and significantly better than before – more environmentally sustainable, safer and with improved water quality.

 

“I want to thank our customers for their patience and understanding during this essential work. Special recognition must also go to our Oldham Active staff who went above and beyond to relocate hundreds of swimming lessons, ensuring our learners could continue their lessons without interruption.

 

“The pool reopening represents Oldham Active’s ongoing commitment to providing high quality leisure facilities that support community health and accessible recreation for all residents. Learning to swim and regular aquatic exercise provide tremendous health benefits for people of all ages. These improvements ensure Royton Leisure Centre can continue to be a cornerstone of community health and wellbeing for generations to come.”