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Work is progressing well on site. The pools are starting to take shape, with excavation underway and foundation works continuing. Despite the recent hot weather, the site team are pushing on to keep the project moving.
You can now clearly see the outline of the main pool - 25m in length, ranging from 1.2m to 2m in depth, and the learner pool alongside it. Since this photo was taken, both pools have been dug out to their full width and depth.
Here’s a quick update on where we are at the moment. If you’d like a refresher, you can read the previous edition.
Image credit - My Portsmouth by Drone
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This photo is looking over the learner pool. You can see the concrete piles projecting from the ground - these form part of the foundations. The orange machine you can see is used to trim the tops of the piles, breaking away the concrete to expose the steel reinforcement inside.
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This photo is taken from the main pool. The foundations are further on in this section. They've applied a thin layer of concrete over the earth, this is known as blinding. The team are now assembling steel reinforcement cages around the exposed rebar. These are then enclosed with shuttering (a temporary timber mould), which will be filled with concrete to form the permanent structural supports.
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This hole is the lift pit. It extends even deeper than the pools themselves, as it needs to accommodate the full travel of the lift mechanism below ground level. You can see the concrete piles projecting up from the base. At the bottom left, there is a pipe in place to pump out any groundwater; keeping the pit dry is essential while works are ongoing at this depth.
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Obviously with all this digging the team have exposed more goodies. We love this bottle! This hasn't been seen by a historian, but a quick Google search suggests bottles like this were produced locally in Southsea around 1900. The Perkins business operated in the area from the late 1890s, supplying mineral waters and soft drinks to residents and workers across Portsmouth.
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The new play area has passed its safety checks earlier this week and is now open. While there are still a few finishing touches to complete, we’ve opened it now so you can start enjoying the new space. Some equipment will be fenced off while work is finished, along with areas where the grass is still being established. We know how much local people have missed having a play area on their doorstep, so we’ll complete these final elements over the next few weeks. We’ll then hold an official opening once everything is ready. Although temperatures are due to ease slightly, remember it’s still hot, so we recommend visiting during the cooler parts of the day, such as early morning or later in the evening.
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Although this update is where you'll get your progress information, we also have a Facebook page. As the project develops we'll be posting video updates and anything you need to know here. So give us a follow! Yesterday we posted a video of all the new equipment in the park, go ahead and check it out.
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