TEST Valley Borough Council has announced a deal with Total Swimming to provide a temporary pool for Andover.

The authority says the Greater Manchester-based company will design and build the facility on part of Shepherds Spring Lane car park.

The council hopes the 25 metre, four lane pool, will be opened in August.

It is believed the council is investing around £800,000 in the facility.

Announcing the move, TVBC’s corporate director, Andrew Ferrier, said: “After announcing Places for People as our preferred contract bidder in November last year, we investigated the options for temporary swimming facilities whilst the Andover Leisure Centre was rebuilt and confirmed that we would provide this facility for residents in February 2017.

“As part of that commitment, we now have planning permission to erect a 25 metre, four lane modular pool at Shepherds Spring Lane car park.

“It will be designed and built by Total Swimming and managed by Places for People Leisure.

“Total Swimming will be working with us whilst the Andover Leisure Centre is rebuilt.

“They have a great deal of experience working with councils in a similar position and have provided replacement facilities due to building work or closures.

Mr Ferrier added: “I am sorry that people will experience disruption to their swimming activities while the temporary pool is built but we aim to have this completed within 17 weeks and open in August.

“The pool will remain in situ until the new Andover Leisure Centre is open.”

Total Swimming was cofounded by Olympic Swimmers Steve Parry and Adrian Turner and is the market leader in demountable swimming pool solutions across the UK.

Over the last five years, it has delivered over 40 projects for local authorities, leisure trusts and private leisure providers.

Mr Parry, managing director and cofounder of Total Swimming, said: “We are delighted to be working with TVBC and Places for People to deliver another one of our 25m modular pool projects.

“These pools offer an amazing opportunity for local communities to continue to swim while their existing pool is being rebuilt.

“We have delivered four previous projects for other local authorities which had similar requirements to those here in Andover and these have proved a huge success.

“This will be our 72nd pool project in total and, although this particular pool will only be in Andover on a temporary basis, there will be nothing temporary about the experience.

“The pool facilities we deliver are of a very high specification, giving the user a similar experience to that they are used to in a permanent swimming pool.”

Although the temporary pool will become the nearest swimming facility for Andover residents once built, the council says alternative swimming options are also available at Romsey Rapids, River Park (Winchester), Fleming Park (Eastleigh), Tidworth Leisure Centre, Five Rivers (Salisbury), Durrington Fitness and Swim Centre (Salisbury), Basingstoke Aquadrome, Tadley Pool and Basingstoke Sports Centre.