Residents furious over Sky Pool heating costs in Wandsworth

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Community Editor
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Residents furious over Sky Pool heating costs in Wandsworth

Postby Community Editor » Wed Jan 19, 2022 5:49 pm

London Sky Pool residents are furious that the suspended pool costs £450 a day to heat when ‘no one uses it’ in winter.

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Many people urged the developers to shut it over winter to save money – or limit opening times.

Nine Elms in Battersea is home to the US Embassy along with flats, restaurants and a 25-metre pool bridged between two buildings and 35 metres above the ground. It opened in May 2021.

Only exclusive Embassy Gardens members are able to use the Sky Pool and full property owners get access to luxury entrances.

Those in shared ownership homes must use the so-called ‘poor door’.

The pool is up to three metres deep and reportedly costs £164,250 to keep the water heated at 30C all year round.

Resident Emma Fisher said: “No one really uses the Sky Pool in the winter.”

She said if it was turned off during winter and it saved her rent money, “that would be good”.

The 25-year-old added: “I’m moving out next week as my landlord is wanting to increase my rent by an extra grand next month.

“It’s already quite a lot of money anyway, and we got it in the pandemic so we got a good deal but after our six month property inspection it got revalued.

“It was good in the summer. I did go there in December and it was freezing.

“It’s nice being in the water but when you get out, that’s where the cold air is.

“I think it would be better to prebook so they could heat it for those days then they know people are going to be in there.”

Local Molly Hainbridge’s reaction to the pool costing £450 a day to heat was: “Crickey!”.

She said: “I haven’t seen anyone use it much in two months.

“There’s been a couple of people in the evenings but I haven’t seen anyone in the day.”

“We should close it in the winter to be perfectly honest.

“It looks great but I mean I wouldn’t want to swim in it because it’s just awkward isn’t it.” 

Local Steve Wilfred said: “I think they should turn it off in the winter. Heat in the sky is not a good thing.

“When it’s really cold no one really uses it.”

But the 28-year-old added: “It’s a really good feature and it’s a safe area to live.”

Steve has been swimming there in the summer months with friends.

Resident Y. Ng, who lives near the Sky Pool, said it was “very beautiful and attractive in the area and people drive past and take pictures.

“If you come during the sunset, the pool reflects the sunlight.”

She said she sees “not many” people swimming there during winter months and would support it being closed during that time.

The 40-year-old added that the pool also needed “a lot of maintenance” and “they need to do a lot of regular cleaning”.

A spokesperson for Ballymore, the property’s developers, previously said: “The Sky Pool is a world-class leisure facility unlike any other swimming pool in London, providing an unrivalled experience for Embassy Garden residents and their guests throughout the year.

“We know from residents how popular the pool is, even during colder periods. The pool is used by residents every day.

“Embassy Gardens provides residents with a range of luxury amenities, while keeping service charges markedly lower than at comparable developments elsewhere in the Nine Elms area.

“The Sky Pool is kept at a constant temperature of 30C which is the standard for leisure pools.”

Article from Wandsworth Times: https://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/ne ... andsworth/ 
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Btc_mum
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Re: Anger over Sky Pool heating costs in Wandsworth

Postby Btc_mum » Thu Jan 20, 2022 7:24 am

Where is the ‘anger’ though?

A couple of residents have said ‘crikey’. The headline is misleading and sensationalist
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Annabel (admin)
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Re: Residents furious over Sky Pool heating costs in Wandsworth

Postby Annabel (admin) » Thu Jan 20, 2022 11:04 am

Hi BTC - thanks for your reply and thoughts, I can see what you mean.

I think that 'angry' was used in the former headline (it has now been changed) due to fact that the opening line of the source piece states that 'residents are furious'.  In any case we have changed the headline to 'furious' for consistency. 

Thanks again for taking time to reply,


Annabel x
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