What’s next for Worthing Lido the seafront’s ‘ageing lady’ - heated pool, hotel or music venue all suggested

Senior councillors discussed the Lido’s future on Wednesday (March 16) and approved a public consultation on refurbishment options.

A heated pool, spa, boutique hotel, music venue, and a restaurant are all currently on the table.

Worthing Borough Council owns the Lido and currently spends around £11,000 per year on maintenance.

But it is clear that its condition has deteriorated and below deck repairs could cost at least £2 million.

A risk assessment in April 2020 resulted in reduced public access and heavy items such as coin machines were removed.

It is thought that the ‘badly corroded and weakened’ concrete slab which covers the old pool ‘can no longer support heavy loads’ and a deck added in 1989, when the pool was decommissioned, has ‘badly deteriorated’.

Funding of £380,000 for the lido has been included in the council’s budget for 2022-23.

But ‘creative approaches’ will be needed to fund the costly renovation which could reach ‘in excess of £10 million’ – depending on the option chosen.

A subscription model has been mooted with the public paying towards the refurbishment, as well as a bid to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The money set aside in the council’s budget could allow borrowing for initial repairs but this would be some way off meeting the £10 million refurbishment estimate.

Council leader Kevin Jenkins (Con, Gaisford) said: “Our lido is an ageing lady on the seafront there and does need to be protected going forward for the future.

“It’s a great historic building, much a part of Worthing’s heritage.

“The commitment is here from us today to maintain that going forward and indeed, to understand what the public would like to see in the way of making that viable going forward.”

Marshall & Kendon Architects put forward several refurbishment proposals, including a ’boutique hotel’ complex, an 800-900 seat music venue with retractable roof, and a food court to seat up to 500 people.

The council’s preferred option would see a heated open-air pool installed,

spa facilities, and a restaurant.

Under these plans, an additional storey would be added to house part of the spa and the public toilets would be kept, but the promenade shops would go.

It is thought that this option could help to ‘create a destination that is busy all day long and all year round’ – something that is ‘essential to long term viability’ according to the feasibility study.

Deputy council leader Ed Crouch (Con, Marine) said that ‘many will have memories’ of the Lido, including one councillor who experienced their first kiss there.

“Clearly our seafront is really important and it is really wonderful to see the life that has been breathed into it over the last number of years,” Mr Crouch said.

“During the pandemic, the use of outside space with some of the concessions that have been let along there [has become] really important.”

Mr Crouch said some options put forward by the architects are ‘mad’ and may perhaps be more aspirational than anything.

But he added: “It’s interesting to see the whole suite of options that are presented.”

The lido forms part of the council’s ongoing ‘Seafront Investment Plan’ which aims to ‘revitalise’ the area to ‘boost the growing visitor economy’.

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