UPDATE ON THE REOPENING OF THE PRIORY PARK PADDLING POOL

On walking thorough Priory Park a few days ago I was surprised not to be met with the sound of laughter and splashing from the newly refurbished paddling pool. After all, for seven months I had read numerous announcements from the Council regarding the funding of the project and the planned opening.

BACKGROUND AND SCHEDULE
On 10 February 2026, Haringey Cabinet considered the £1.5m Pride in Place funding. and identified a specific £200,000 paddling-pool upgrades project covering Bruce Castle Park, Lordship Recreation Ground and Priory Park.The project description says the purpose was to bring the pools up to current health-and safety and accessibility standards. Substantial improvement work was already planned before the 2026 summer season.

Haringey subsequently announced the funding publicly on 6 March 2026, explicitly listing: “Paddling Pool upgrades at the three parks.

Despite having the funding in place no date was given for the opening between February and April. However in the spring the Council's Priory Park page described the paddling pool as undergoing minor repairs and said it would be “opening soon”. The intended opening date was 23 May.

May 2026: The Council's paddling-pool information indicated that there had been a delay in opening for the summer, with the stated expectation being the May half-term holiday 2026. The can, however, was kicked further down the road...

4 June 2026: Haringey announced that its paddling pools were reopening for the summer. Great... but then a later update made it clear that Priory Park was still undergoing refurbishment. It did not reopen with the other pools.

10 July 2026: Council statement: “Priory Park paddling pool – Refurbishment underway” and specifically noted that the expected daily opening arrangements for the school holidays from 17 July 2026 did not mean that Priory Park was opening on that date.

The project description says the purpose was to bring the pools up to current health-and-safety and accessibility standards. So the Council was not simply discovering an unexpected problem in May. (Stay with me here.) Substantial improvement work was already planned before the 2026 summer season. The Council knew what work needed to be done - it simply failed to do it.

The Council's Priory Park page currently says: “Priory Park Paddling Pool is currently undergoing minor repairs and will be opening soon.” But the truth is it isn't and it won't.

The current state of the paddling pool can be seen in the attached shots: a month on from the installation of the ugly metal barriers no work is being done: nowt, nothing, niente, nada.  There is zero indication when the necessary repairs will be started - let alone completed and the pool opened.

On paying a visit to the cafe adjacent to the pool, I fell into conversation with the owners. They have been managing these premises for some 14 years. They go the extra mile to look after the well-being of all who visit the park not simply their customers. With no functioning water fountain in Priory Park (why was one not installed with the refurbishment of the tennis courts?) they are constantly re-filling the public's waiter bottles - no charge of course. With no public toilets in the park (like 99% of the borough) the cafe owners make available and maintain their own toilets.

Turnover for the cafe this year - with no functioning pool - is down by an estimated 40%. The ugly barriers are hardly inviting to potential customers: many regulars had to check if the cafe was even open. 40% loss in turnover is a major hit when rent of the premises (from Haringey Council) and business rates (to Haringey Council) plus staff costs, energy bills, supplies of food and drink etc all have to be paid for from hugely reduced income. I asked the owners if Haringey Council had kept them fully up to date with the schedule for repairs and given them an opening date. The last communication was on 11 June. I asked if the three Hornsey councillors in whose ward this falls had reached out to them to act as a bridge between them and the Council to move things along: they had not. No visit. Not contact. Nothing.

Whilst their current situation is unenviable, very much to their credit the main concern of the cafe owners was for the parents and toddlers currently missing out on a vital amenity. In the hottest , longest summer on record Haringey is unable to provide a paddling pool for local residents when funding for an upgrade was available in February and the extent of the repairs needed were known in mid May - almost three months ago.

No doubt Haringey Council will want to offer the cafe owners a rebate for business rates and a proportion (at least) of rental costs. Surely that's the least they can do.

As for the opening date of the pool - your guess is as good as mine.

Addendum: Emily Arkell, cabinet member for culture and leisure, has overall responsibility for the parks within Haringey Council. In the Council's Parks and Green Spaces Strategy document she wrote: 'Haringey’s parks and greenspaces should be key shared spaces for all our communities. This strategy is intended to... dismantle the barriers that prevent some of our residents from using our parks and feeling included and welcome." Dismantling the current barriers, I suggest, and fixing the pool would be a good start.

Emily.Arkell@haringey.gov.uk