Hurst Pool closes on 7 September for a £1.45m refurbishment and is due back in January or February 2027. Swimmers are being sent to Xcel in Walton-on-Thames.

Hurst Pool in Molesey will close on Monday 7 September for a £1.45 million refurbishment, with completion scheduled for January or February 2027, Elmbridge Borough Council confirmed on 7 August. That is a closure of roughly five months at a pool the council says takes around 157,000 visits a year.

It is the fourth start date the council has given for this job, and the first one that comes with a completion date attached.

What is being done

The council’s update page lists four things: modernised changing rooms, upgraded interior décor throughout, enhanced energy efficiency to cut the building’s environmental impact, and improved vending for refreshments and coffee.

The pool opened in 1996 and is run by Places Leisure on the council’s behalf. The council says it has been well cared for but that “the time has come for significant upgrades”, and that the work will extend its lifespan.

Councillor Simon Waugh, the council’s portfolio holder for leisure, culture and commercial strategy, called it “an important investment in a much-valued community facility”. Ella Mitchell, general manager at Places Leisure, said the improvements “will modernise the facility, enhance the customer experience and help ensure The Hurst Pool continues to serve residents for many years to come”.

Four start dates in a year

The council has been open about the delays, and the record is worth setting out because it is the reason a September start needs treating as a plan rather than a certainty.

The four start dates given for the Hurst Pool refurbishment, and the reason each one moved Four rows. A start on 30 March 2026 was announced and then moved because of a delay in the procurement process, said the council on 11 March. A start in late April 2026 was then set and dropped because of contractor issues, said the council on 17 April. A start in autumn 2026 was then given, with the pool staying open through the summer, said the council on 5 June. The current plan, given on 7 August, is a start on 7 September 2026 with completion in January or February 2027 at a cost of 1.45 million pounds. Hurst Pool: four start dates in five months Each date and reason is taken from the council's own updates on the same page. COUNCIL UPDATE START DATE GIVEN REASON IT MOVED 11 March 30 March 2026 A delay in the procurement process 17 April Late April 2026 Contractor issues 5 June Autumn 2026 Pool kept open through the summer 7 August 7 September 2026 Current plan, finishing January or February 2027 £1.45 million · about 157,000 visits a year · open since 1996 Source: Elmbridge Borough Council, Hurst Pool refurbishment update, entries of 11 March, 17 April, 5 June and 7 August 2026. Graphic by Elmbridge News
The council has published a reason each time the start date moved. September is the fourth date given, and the first with a stated finish.

The first plan was to start on 30 March. On 11 March the council said “a delay in the procurement process” meant it needed more time, and moved the start to late April. On 17 April it said the works “due to begin in late April will no longer go ahead as planned” because of contractor issues. On 5 June it confirmed the pool would stay open all summer and that work was expected to begin in autumn. The 7 August update set the date at 7 September and, for the first time, gave both a cost and a completion window.

Where to swim instead

While Hurst Pool is shut, the council says its customers can use the Xcel Leisure Complex on Waterside Drive in Walton-on-Thames, where Places Leisure staff will answer questions, and that it is working with swimming groups and local schools on an alternative programme “to ensure no one misses out”. Xcel is the council’s other main leisure site, in the next town along the Thames, so for Molesey swimmers this is a change of town rather than a walk.

Hurst Park and its play area stay open throughout the work. That matters if your reason for going is the playground rather than the pool.

For questions about lessons or swimming schedules, the council has previously given the Places Leisure team’s number as 020 8941 6544. The council says it will publish full details and regular updates at elmbridge.gov.uk/hurst-pool-refurbishment.

What it means for you

If you have lessons booked from September, contact Places Leisure now rather than in the first week of term. The council says an alternative programme is being arranged with groups and schools, but it has not published the timetable, so the arrangement for any individual class is not yet in the public domain.

If you hold a membership, ask what it covers during the closure. The council’s statement points Hurst Pool customers at Xcel but does not say anything about membership terms, refunds or transfers, and that is a question for Places Leisure rather than the council.

If you swim at Xcel already, expect it to be busier from September. Hurst Pool’s roughly 157,000 visits a year do not all move across, but a share of them will, into a site that the council separately describes as taking more than 200,000 visits a year in its own right.

Treat the January or February reopening as a target. Three previous start dates moved, twice for reasons outside the council’s control. The update page is the place the council has consistently posted the changes, so it is worth checking before planning around a specific month.

Sources

  • Elmbridge Borough Council, Hurst Pool refurbishment update, entries dated 11 March, 17 April, 5 June and 7 August 2026, for the £1.45 million cost, the 7 September start, the January or February 2027 completion, the scope of the works, the 157,000 annual visits, the 1996 opening date, the quotes from Councillor Simon Waugh and Ella Mitchell, the alternative arrangements at Xcel and the Places Leisure phone number.
  • Elmbridge Borough Council, Xcel Sports Hub statement, entry of 11 June 2026, for the figure of more than 200,000 visits a year at the Xcel site.

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