London’s first “natural water” lido is set to open in Canary Wharf this Friday.
Situated in the northwest corner of Eden Dock, the facility features an unheated 50-metre, six-lane Olympic-sized swimming pool.
It has been dubbed as an urban oasis for wellbeing, offering visitors the chance to swim, relax and reconnect with water.
Created by Sea Lanes Brighton, in partnership with CWG, the lifeguarded pool will be operated by South Downs Leisure and will offer both membership and pay-per-swim access.
Joe McNulty, Sea Lanes Director, said: “With growing demand for outdoor swimming facilities, Sea Lanes Canary Wharf provides the freedom of open water swimming with the safety and structure of a pool, helping swimmers of all abilities build confidence before exploring wider outdoor swimming opportunities.
“The natural water, unheated pool provides an ideal training environment for swimmers, while also giving Londoners the opportunity to experience the physical and mental wellbeing benefits many participants associate with cold water swimming.”
Open 364 days a year, the pool will be filled with filtered dock water that will be continually tested to meet "Excellent" EU Bathing Standards.
Two wood-fired outdoor saunas, fully powered by 100% renewable energy, will also be situated on the dockside.
And, a clubhouse and dining area will be open to visitors for some post-swim fuelling.
Later in the year, Sea Lanes will open up the wider Eden Dock area, offering non-lane open water swimming, paddleboarding, free diving, surf-fit sessions and winter scuba programmes.
Deputy Mayor of London, Mete Coban, MBE, said: “Sea Lanes Canary Wharf provides a fantastic new open swimming opportunity for Londoners and visitors in the heart of our city.
“The Mayor and I are committed to transforming London's waterways – cleaning them up, improving biodiversity, and opening up more blue spaces for Londoners to relax, walk and swim in safely. This is why we are launching the Clean and Healthy Waterways plan to ensure they are safe and welcoming spaces for all, as we continue to build a better, greener London for everyone.”
The pool has been designed to meet the growing demand for outdoor swimming, designers say.
According to Swim England, 6.81 million people swim outdoors each year, including 2.45 million open water swimmers.
Stuart Fyfe, Managing Director of Retail, Hospitality and Leisure at CWG, said: “Canary Wharf is thrilled to welcome Sea Lanes as the next bold step in enhancing our blue and green spaces, adding to our district’s exceptional wellness offering.
“This unique leisure attraction will meaningfully improve access to nature and the waterside for Londoners and we can’t wait for our community to experience everything it has to offer.
“We’re pleased to offer an inclusive community hub for everyone, from Olympic swimmers to those looking just to relax in the summer sun.”
Sea Lanes will be open Monday to Friday from 6am to 9pm and Saturday and Sunday from 7am to 7pm.
