Hampstead Heath bathing ponds to remain trans-inclusive after consultation

The bathing ponds at Hampstead Heath in north-west London will remain trans-inclusive after a public consultation overwhelmingly favoured its existing rules.

There are gender-segregated ponds for men and women, with trans people able to swim in whichever they feel most appropriate, or use the heath’s mixed-gender pond instead.

The City of London Corporation (CLC), which manages the ponds, reviewed its policy in response to the supreme court’s ruling in April 2025 that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

On Thursday, a committee made the decision after a public consultation, launched in October, in which 86% of 38,000 respondents favoured retaining the ponds’ existing trans-inclusive arrangements, the corporation said.

The policy agreement means that transgender women will continue to have access to the site’s Kenwood Ladies’ pond and the Highgate Men’s pond will be open to trans men, the CLC confirmed. The Hampstead mixed pond is “open to everyone”, it said.

The campaign group Sex Matters won a court of appeal bid in March to continue a legal challenge over the bathing ponds’ access policy. Pressure has mounted from similar advocacy groups after the supreme court ruled earlier this year that trans women were not legally defined as women.

Fiona McAnena, the director of Sex Matters, said the CLC had in effect voted to defy the law and discriminate against and harass women using the ladies’ pond.

“Many City of London councillors seem to think UK equality law doesn’t apply to the Hampstead ponds,” says McAnena. “The clue is in the name: female users don’t expect to encounter male people in bikinis or sometimes even naked in the showers at the Ladies’ pond, but that is what the City of London Corporation has endorsed.”

McAnena added that “the whole policy is an unlawful mess and it’s a disgrace that London councillors think that they can ride roughshod over the law.”

Trans people have called the campaigners “cruel and judgmental” and said they had been using the space for decades with no issues.

The CLC said improvements have also been agreed to add more private cubicles as part of upgrades to toilet and shower facilities at the ponds.

The decision means the women’s and men’s ponds would not be considered single-sex spaces under the Equality Act.

Guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), published by the government last month, confirmed single-sex services must be on the basis of biological sex.

The City of London Corporation policy chair, Chris Hayward, said the consultation results had “shown people want these ponds to remain safe, respectful and inclusive”.

He said: “It’s clear how much these bathing ponds mean to the communities who swim here. Many people told us how they value them as calm, safe and welcoming spaces with a strong sense of inclusion and belonging.

“Although our consultation was never a referendum, the message from regular swimmers and the wider community was clear – people want these ponds to remain safe, respectful and inclusive.

“Whilst the supreme court judgment confirmed the legal definition of ‘sex’, it did not decide that all trans-inclusive services must become single-sex services.

“We have continued to listen and take detailed legal advice throughout this process. The approach agreed today protects the character and unique spirit of the ponds while ensuring they remain welcoming to all.”