Historic seaside lido project in Cumbria expected to get £1.8m boost

Plans to refurbish a derelict outdoor swimming pool in South Cumbria, are expected to move forward with an extra £1.8m in funding.

The Grange Lido, in Grange-over-Sands, has been closed for almost 30 years. The once-popular site overlooks Morecambe Bay.

An upgrade project is now costed at £6.8m - including work on the central pavilion building at the pool, infilling of the pool itself and a new children's playground.

The previous budget was just over £5m.

In its heyday, the lido attracted swimmers from across Cumbria and Lancashire

Councillors at South Lakeland District Council will be advised to approve additional funding, to cover the work, at a meeting next week.

A report authored by one of the authority's officials says structural elements of the pool would be at "imminent risk of either partial or complete failure" without "immediate intervention."

Councillors will be advised to fund "immediate intervention" to save parts of the structure

Without the work, the report says, the Grade II-listed structure would be harmed and the council would be "exposed to higher expenditure, heritage enforcement action and irreparable reputational damage."

£1m in funding has already come from the Government's Coastal Communities Fund.