Ashburton will be down to one public swimming pool in the height of summer.

That’ll be the 50-year-old Hampstead School pool because Ashburton’s EA Networks Centre will be shut down for maintenance from January 3 to February 3.

It will be the network’s first major shutdown since the centre opened in 2015, which has resulted in the Ashburton District Council reaching an agreement, including meeting some costs, with Hampstead School to operate its pool for a month.

EA Networks Centre manager Richard Wood said they reached out to Hampstead School while planning the necessary maintenance shut down.

January is traditionally a slow period at the aquatic centre so is the ideal time to do the maintenance required can’t be done in a few days, he said.

The deal to utilise Hampstead pool includes an investment of up to $6000 as compensation for public access.

It will pay to upgrade the chlorinating system and balance tank cover at the unheated Hampstead Pool to lift it to a similar standard to other district pools, Wood said.

The upgrades will remain the property of the Hampstead School but any income from the pool, which has a capacity for around 100 swimmers, would be retained by EANC.

Councillor Carolyn Cameron said it was important to maintain the aquatic centre “given the investment it is’’ and to have a pool partnership with Hampstead School “is a great solution”.

Outside of Ashburton, five pools on council land are managed by community groups, which are at Hinds, Rakaia, Mt Somers, Ruapuna, and Mayfield.

Seven other community pools in the district are not on council land and are managed by community groups are Willowby, Hampstead, Fairton, Dorie, Wakanui, Lauriston, and Methven.

By Jonathan Leask