St Austell Hydrotherapy Pool Will Not Reopen, Council Confirms

After nine months of talks, the hope of getting St Austell’s hydrotherapy pool back in use has run out.

Cornwall Council has confirmed that the hydrotherapy pool at St Austell Leisure Centre will not reopen, despite money being set aside and a community group working for the best part of a year to find a way forward.

Back in August 2025, full Council agreed to a motion that allowed time for a community-led solution to be developed to support reopening the pool. Capital funding was allocated from the Council’s budgets, and a community group set about trying to make it happen.

But it hasn’t worked out. The Council says that despite the best efforts of everyone involved over the last nine months, it has not been possible to reach an agreement on the viability, risk and deliverability of reopening the facility. And so the decision has been made that it will stay closed.

Thanks to the community group

The Council acknowledged the benefits of hydrotherapy and said it was grateful to the community-led group for the work they put in. Councillor German was singled out for particular thanks, with the Council noting the commitment he has shown in seeking a community-led solution.

What happens next

The pool itself may be staying shut, but the Council says it isn’t walking away from leisure provision in the town. Working alongside GLL, which operates St Austell Leisure Centre, the Council says it remains committed to delivering leisure facilities that bring wider community health benefits.

That includes improving accessibility at St Austell, with the Council specifically pointing to physical access to the swimming pool as something it wants to improve.