Funding boost of £300k for lido's energy revamp

Sandford Parks Lido first opened in Cheltenham in 1935

A popular Grade II listed lido has been given more than £300,000 to improve energy efficiency which will help “keep the facility open”.

Cheltenham's Sandford Lido will benefit from money set aside by the English Sports Council to improve energy efficiency at public pools.

The £306,000 going to Sandford is part of an £80m government package made available last year.

Cheltenham Borough Council finance and assets cabinet member, Alisha Lewis, described the money as a "fantastic bit of funding".

The government funds were distributed in two phases with the second phase allocating £60m to improve the energy efficiency of public facilities with pools to help alleviate costs pressures and mitigate the risk of closures of public sector swimming pools.

A successful phase two application was made by the borough council in October last year, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

'Keep the building running'

“Sandford Park Lido is a spectacular site right in the heart of our town and it, like every other swimming pool in the country, is facing significant budgetary pressures because the cost of everything is going up, particularly energy,” said Ms Lewis at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.

“We are really excited to be accepting some money from the swimming pool support fund, £306,000 to support some exciting retrofitting of clean energy projects on site.

“It’s absolutely essential that this money is pumped into the lido at this time because it is what is going to be able to keep their doors open and keep the building running.”

The Sports Council has asked the council to enter into two grant agreements; the overarching capital grant agreement, between the Sports Council as funder and the council as applicant, and a grant adherence agreement between the Sports Council as funder, the council as applicant and Sandford Parks Lido as facility owner.