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Search the Public Notice PortalTRANENT residents “eagerly awaiting” a swim in their home pool are still two years away from seeing its reopening.
The pool at the Loch Centre in the town has been closed since January 2023 due to a fault with the roof, with users forced to travel to other pools for leisure and training.
Last February, East Lothian Council announced a £5 million investment to repair the facility, scheduled to take place over three years.
The project includes refurbishment of the pool as well as “other work to update the centre”, and the facility is set to reopen at the end of the 2026/27 financial year.
Now a year on from the budget meeting, the works are still in the planning phase, with a focus solely on creating a project timeline and completing design work.
Councillor Lee-Anne Menzies, ward member for Tranent, Wallyford and Macmerry, said that Tranent had "certainly missed its swimming pool" and "can't wait to get it back again".
She told the Courier: "We're seeing there's a slight dip in numbers that we haven't regained fully, because it isn't always convenient for people to travel elsewhere.
"When you've got a swimming pool in one of the poorest areas, not everyone's got access to a car or easy transportation to get to somewhere else.
"It's frustrating because nobody is seeing any movement and it's been a year, but it's a long process and they have to go through all the checks and balances to make sure that it's being done properly – spending public money and getting the value for it."
READ MORE: 'Devising timeline' to get Tranent's swimming pool open
A spokesperson for the local authority said that, once these works had been completed, they “anticipate being able to proceed with the necessary building works across the second and third years”.
Since the closure, Tranent Amateur Swimming Club (TASC) has been forced to use other pools, including those at Musselburgh Sports Centre and Mercat Gait, Prestonpans.
TASC has been based at the Loch Centre since the club was founded in 1973.
Ms Menzies added: "The funding is not in question and it never should be in question.
"It certainly wouldn't go unchallenged if anybody tried to backtrack on that.
"There's too much of a strong feeling, particularly in Tranent. We need the Loch Centre, we need the swimming back."
Bill Axon, chief executive of Enjoy Leisure, which runs the Loch Centre on behalf of the council, said: “We know that the community in East Lothian, particularly Tranent, is eagerly awaiting the Loch Centre upgrade.
“In 2024, East Lothian Council committed over £5 million in capital funding for the centre.
“This project will include a pool refurbishment, along with other work to update the centre and secure the facility’s future for the next generation.”
READ MORE: Funding confirmation is 'huge relief' for future of Loch Centre
An East Lothian Council spokesperson said: “The investment of just over £5 million in the repair and refurbishment of the Loch Centre is taking place over three years.
“We are currently in the first year of the project, which involves design work and devising a suitable timeline.
“Once this has been completed, we would anticipate being able to proceed with the necessary building works across the second and third years, concluding in financial year 26/27.
“This would include addressing the issues which would require the closure of the swimming pool.”
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