Temporary closure planned at pyramid-shaped pool

15 October 2025

Martin HeathBedfordshire political reporter

News image — The pyramid-shaped building is a familiar feature of Bedford

Bedford Borough Council Grey pyramid-shaped building with blue banner across the bottom saying MAKE A SPLASH AT OASIS BEACH POOL. There is a paved area in front of the building, on which a large puddle of rain water is visible. There are trees behind the building and a blue sky. — The pyramid-shaped building is a familiar feature of Bedford

A pyramid-shaped pool with an uncertain future will undergo a "planned suspension of use", council officials said.

The Oasis Beach Pool in Bedford is currently being operated by Better, a charitable social enterprise, and is on the market.

All activities at the site will cease from 3 November.

Bedford Borough Council said it would explore "sustainable options for its future" during the closure.

The pool opened in 1991 but became expensive to run as it entered its third decade.

It closed for "necessary repairs" costing £330,000 in November 2023 and did not welcome another paying customer until May 2024.

Better The interior of a white-walled leisure pool, showing lines of windows in the roof, a circular pool, and a chute in the centre. There are spectator seats behind. — The facility has a lazy river, small pool, leisure pool and jacuzzi

The Conservative-run council said the pool had recorded more than 117,000 visits since the reopening.

It added that recent months had seen a range of activities taking place, including inflatable fun swims and swim-a-song classes.

Despite its popularity, the pool is still costing the council about £900,000 a year to maintain.

The 6.5 acre (2.6 hectare) site was put on the market last month, with the agents saying the council would consider proposals that involved repurposing or demolishing the buildings, as long as they were replaced by an alternative leisure facility.

Sarah Gallagher, the council's portfolio holder for leisure and culture, said: "This planned pause, which is driven by the high running costs of the site, allows us to maintain the facilities during the quieter winter period, while we explore sustainable options for its future."

The opposition leader, Henry Vann, a Liberal Democrat, said he did not know whether "closing or keeping it open is the right thing to do".

"What isn't the right thing to do," he added, "is to spend nearly £400,000 revamping it and doing a massive, snazzy relaunch, and then basically closing it and saying you're thinking about other options."