Ten thousand people back plan to save art deco swimming pool

Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding that a rare art deco lido is not destroyed.

It's 25 years this week since Grange Lindo closed in 1993. Now, more than ten thousand people are calling for the derelict outdoor pool in Grange-over-Sands to be restored.

The council say refurbishment would be too expensive and want to cover it over or fill it in.

Grange Lido, in the coastal Cumbrian town of Grange-over-Sands, is the only surviving seaside lido in the north of England. Built in 1932, the saltwater pool closed in 1993.

Three years ago, South Lakeland district council, which owns the site, concluded that reopening the lido for swimming was not feasible and began to explore using the site for other purposes.

It is planning a £2m renovation which could see up to five new business units on site in the former ancillary buildings and changing rooms, alongside a landscaped open space in place of the old pool.

But campaigners insist that with the current al fresco swimming boom, the pool could be commercially viable within three years. Some 74% of local residents want to be able to swim there again, they say.

Campaigners have put together ambitious plans which would include a cafe and restaurant, open all year round,

South Lakeland district council said on its website: “Both visitors and residents continue to comment on the derelict state of the former lido, and we remain committed to ensuring a sustainable way forward for the future of the site, for the benefit of the community of Grange-over-Sands …

“Since consultation, we have had a number of interested parties and exciting proposals come forward with expressions of interest in the site.”

.