The physical and mental health benefits of outdoor swimming are well documented by health professionals and include:
Islington is one of the only London boroughs without an outdoor public swim facility or lido. Swim City Basin was launched in 2019 with the sole objective of developing a floating lido in the basin and bring all the health benefits of outdoor swimming to the local community.
City Road Basin is an extension of the Regents Canal halfway between Angel and Old Street stations and was originally built as a distribution hub for goods coming into central London. The basin is owned by the Canal & River Trust and is home to the Islington Boat Club, a charity that offers a range of water based activities and courses for children and adults. Our proposals aim to compliment and promote the Boat Clubs ongoing use of City Basin as a place for recreation and leisure.
Our vision is for a open air, naturally filtered, fresh water floating pool moored in City Road Basin with changing facilities, sauna and a cafe.
THE STORY SO FAR:
In February 2019 an initial concept document was submitted to the Canal & River Trust and the concept aligned with their ambition for greater use of City Road Basin as a place for leisure and recreation. A formal Operating Proposal was then developed around an agreed set of principles:
February 2021 – Pre application meeting with Islington Council to discuss our initial concept; a 3 lane 25m pool, children’s pool, cafe, changing facilities and fitness studio. The council planning department were concerned of the overall scale of the proposal and the potential impact on waterway and Conservation Area.
In response to the comments we reduced the scale of the building and overall footprint as well as carrying out additional ecology and heritage studies. In June 2022 we had another pre application meeting with the council who acknowledged some of the benefits of the revised concept but they still had concerns over the principle of development in the basin, scale of the proposals and potential impact on the waterway.
So what next? We’re looking into how we can bring the proposal to life under a temporary 5 year consent which could involve some facilities being provided onshore . But before we go any further we need your input and support! We’d love to hear from you and get you feedback on the concept so that we can co-create a community facility that meets all your needs.
The team behind the project have experience in promoting unique leisure concepts and renewable energy projects in the UK. We are supported by a multidisciplinary team of technical specialists which include Bluet Floating Infrastructure, Kanda Consulting and DP9.
Swimming is not permitted in the canal basin and the water is not currently sanitary for public swimming. The floating pool will use fresh water that will be naturally filtered and heated by water source heat pump.
A floating pool consists of a steel tank supported by a pontoon structure moored on a river, lake or sea. The concept was pioneered by the Victorians who built a floating bath house on the River Thames in 1875. Floating pools are popular across Scandinavia and are usually built alongside other facilities such as a sauna, spa, event space and cafe.
We need your input and support! If you would like to get involved in the project send us an email at [email protected] or complete the form below with details of your interest.
As our plans develop we will be hosting some public consultation events both in person and online where you will have an opportunity to provide your thoughts on the emerging proposals. Sign up to our mailing list below to be kept informed of our plans.
Thank you for visiting the Swim City Basin website, we’d love to hear your thoughts on our vision. Should you have any further questions or want to get involved please get in contact via email or through the get in touch form.
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