Ipswich swimming pool charity's 'last chance' plea to save lido

Plans to restore and reopen the Grade II listed Broomhill Pool were put on hold due to the pandemic

A charity has called on local MPs to help with its "last chance to save one of Britain's finest lidos".

Ipswich's listed Broomhill Lido was built in 1938 and closed in 2002.

A £7.25m renovation of the outdoor swimming pool was due to start in 2020, but it was paused due to the pandemic.

The Broomhill Pool Trust said costs had since risen by £1.5-£2m and more funding was needed, while the town's two Conservative MPs said they were writing to the government.

The trust urged the project's three other stakeholders - Ipswich Borough Council, Fusion Lifestyle and the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) - to consider what could be lost at "one of our town's most iconic and loved buildings".

A trust spokesperson said: "A restored Broomhill Pool will benefit all the people of Ipswich but especially the young to an enormous degree offering unparalleled water facilities for the next 50 years."

"If the whole scheme fails now - at such a late stage - due to a gap in capital funding, it will represent a lost opportunity of a monumental scale."

They said the project "possibly only needs another £1.5m to £2m to bridge the inflationary gap".

Metal coverings were installed to protect the empty pool and the diving board tower after vandalism that followed its closure in 2002

The council applied for £1.3m for the lido from the government's Levelling Up Fund but found out last week that the bid was not successful.

Fusion Lifestyle's chief executive officer, Anthony Cawley, said: "We are disappointed with the government's decision."

He said the firm remained "committed to the redevelopment of Broomhill" and was working with the council and the NLHF to agree next steps.

The council said it was trying to organise a meeting of the stakeholders "urgently".

A spokeswoman for the National Lottery Heritage Fund said its £3.4m grant to restore the pool would remain in place and it was in talks with other stakeholders about next steps.

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David Ellesmere, Labour leader of the council, said: "Our main aim at this stage is to try and get agreement from all the partners that they will keep their existing funding pledges in place so we have time to consider options for how to keep the project alive following the government's [Levelling Up Fund] decision."

In a letter to the Department of Culture Media and Sport, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt and Central Suffolk & North Ipswich MP Dr Dan Poulter asked for all options to be considered to plug the funding gap.

Mr Hunt said he "completely shares" the trust's disappointment and that he was "determined to get this sorted".

"I'm really desperately keen to explore all avenues to get it over the edge," he added.

A family enjoying a day out at Broomhill Lido in 1948

The council owns the pool and charity Fusion Lifestyle has a 50-year lease to operate it.

By 2020, the council had put £1.5m into the project, while Fusion had provided both £2m itself and £3.5m through its application to the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Fusion has listed building consent, alongside conditional planning permission for the full restoration and redevelopment of the site.

Broomhill was popular on hot days. The site is on the boundary of the town's two Parliamentary constituencies