€20m Lucan swimming pool is expected to open shortly after over a decade waiting

WATCH:

The long-awaited Lucan pool is expected to be open for business “by the end of the month,” according to the council’s Chief Executive.

The handover of the Lucan pool commenced at the end of March as the costly project, years in the making, has moved within reach of the finish line.

South Dublin County Council Chief Executive Colm Ward made his expectation clear that the facility would open before the end of this month, although he noted that this was down to several factors moving fast.

Chief Executive Ward said: “Lucan pool is with the contractor. I would expect that it opens for business by the end of the month.

“But, that’s obviously dependent on the operator’s training and the different programmes there.

“But, imminent again in terms of that being operational for the people of Lucan.”

The main and variable-depth pools at Lucan Leisure Campus were handed over to Aura Leisure on Friday, March 27.

This follows test fills in January, nine months later than previously anticipated and extra work on the filtration system in February.

Aura Leisure’s access to the pool and changing rooms will see them undertake training and final preparations ahead of opening the new facility to the public, who have waited more than a decade for their new pool – a local campaign was created in 2014 to promote the cause.

The ‘dry side’ of the Lucan Leisure Centre opened on Monday, July 28 and figures obtained by the Irish Independent under a Freedom of Information request earlier this year show that costs as of September 2025 were €17.87m.

The cost of the project is now expected to be in the €20m range but was originally estimated to be €13.5m.

The sod was turned on the project in May 2019, which was anticipated to take 20 months to complete but several complications changed things, such as Covid-19.

An independent review was requested on the Lucan Leisure project after the delays led to the termination of a contract.

The termination of the deal with contractors PJ McLoughlin occurred in August 2025 after over half a decade worth of delays to the project.

The council took over the pool works in the past months and brought an end to the construction of the new public facility.

An official opening date for the Lucan pool has yet to be confirmed.

Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.