Funding package secured for Broomhill Pool restoration

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

Work to restore "one of Britain's finest lidos" will go ahead after a funding package was agreed.

The Grade II listed Broomhill Pool in Ipswich closed in 2002 and there have been plans to renovate it for a number of years.

A £7.25m restoration scheme starting in 2020 was paused due to the pandemic.

A funding deal has now been struck between stakeholders Ipswich Borough Council, National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fusion Lifestyle.

The attraction's new look will include a gym and studio room

The Broomhill Pool Trust said: "What a wonderful way to start the year. This really is news to lift the spirits of the whole town."

Previously the charity speculated that restoration work would need another "£1.5m to £2m to bridge the inflationary gap".

The trust said the stakeholders had now "upped their commitment and financial stake".

The diving boards at Broomhill, pictured in 1989, were a big draw for visitors

The outdoor swimming pool, owned by the council and set to be run by Fusion Lifestyle, was built in 1938 and has remained close since 2002.

The attraction's new look will include a gym and studio room, as well as the reinstatement of the lido and nursery pool.

John Cook, a Labour member on Ipswich Borough Council, responsible for communities and sport, said the new project would restore the lido to "its former glory".

Both Mark Rogers, of Fusion Lifestyle, and Robyn Llewellyn, of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, added they were "delighted" with the announcement.

The pool has been closed since 2002

Last year, the Broomhill Pool Trust, which have campaigned to restore the lido for more than 20 years, called on local MPs to help with its "last chance to save one of Britain's finest lidos".

Tom Hunt, Conservative MP for Ipswich, said an "additional very generous grant" from the Heritage Lottery Fund had been "vital to ensuring the project will be completed and Broomhill Lido will finally be reopened"

"This is very good news for Ipswich on a number of different levels," he said.

Campaigners have been fighting to restore and reopen the pool