Swimming pool restoration hit by funding shortfall

Plans to restore a 1930s outdoor lido shut for decades have been hit by another funding shortfall.

The Grade II listed Broomhill Pool in Ipswich closed in 2002 and plans to renovate it over the years have repeatedly been affected by a gap in financing.

Ipswich Borough Council, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Fusion Lifestyle agreed a new funding package in January to save the pool.

However, Fusion Lifestyle, who leads the project, said there was now a "small funding shortfall" which it was working with partners to bridge.

Restoration was previously estimated to cost £7.25m but Fusion has not confirmed how much money it needed to bridge the shortfall.

The Broomhill Pool Trust, which campaigned for more than 20 years to reopen the lido, said it had concerns but had been lobbying stakeholders to "move things along".

Mark Ling, chairman of the trust, said there were frustrations but that the scheme was fundamentally the same as renovations approved in 2019.

The project was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and construction inflation costs affected the plans.

He said: "From our side we want to try and make sure those delays are reduced as much as possible and that there is a plan to bridge the additional funding gap caused by the delay."

He added: "The trust has been at this for 22 years so we’re quite close to the stakeholders, we’re watching everything very closely, we’re trying to motivate and get them across the line and of course our concerns have been raised to them."

Mr Ling said the trust had been reassured by Fusion Lifestyle the project will "get across the line".

A Fusion spokesperson said it was working with stakeholders "to bridge the small funding shortfall following notification of confirmed contractor costs".

They said redevelopment was at the final stage of planning consent and it hoped to confirm a work start date soon.

It added contractors were on standby.

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