Home / Lifestyle / Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds Weigh Transgender Access After Landmark Ruling
Hampstead Heath Bathing Ponds Weigh Transgender Access After Landmark Ruling
30 Sep, 2025
Summary
- City authority seeks public input on transgender access to single-sex swimming areas
- Current policies allow transgender individuals to use ponds matching their gender identity
- Ruling on legal definition of "woman" prompts review of existing policies
As of September 30th, 2025, the City of London Corporation (CLC), which oversees Hampstead Heath's iconic bathing ponds, has launched a public consultation to gather input on the future of transgender access to these single-sex swimming facilities.
The current policies, adopted in 2019, allow transgender men to use the Highgate Men's Pond and transgender women to use the Kenwood Ladies' Pond. However, a recent Supreme Court ruling in April 2025 that defined the terms "woman" and "sex" in the Equality Act 2010 as referring to biological sex has prompted the CLC to re-evaluate these arrangements.
The CLC is now asking swimmers and local residents to share their views on whether the ladies' and men's ponds should remain trans-inclusive, become exclusively single-sex, or be converted to mixed-sex spaces. Consultees will also be asked to provide feedback on the use of communal toilets and changing rooms, as well as the possibility of reserving specific times for biological single-sex use.
Chris Hayward, the CLC's policy chairman, emphasized the sensitivity of the issue and the need to ensure that "everyone's voice is heard, and that decisions are made in a fair, respectful and transparent way, in line with the law." The consultation will run until November 25th, 2025, with the findings expected to inform the CLC's future decisions on access policies for the Hampstead Heath bathing ponds.
