Local campaign group nets £50k grant towards renovation of derelict Tynemouth pool

A group that has been campaigning to reopen the Tynemouth outdoor swimming pool has been awarded a £50,000 government grant towards the project.

The Friends of Tynemouth Pool have been trying since 2012 to transform the now disused 1920s lido into a "modern, safe, usable and internationally significant leisure facility".

The group has been awarded a maximum grant of £50k from the Government's new Coastal Revival Fund, administered by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

The cash injection means preliminary work to restore the pool can begin. The first steps will be a condition survey of the pool surround, and the completion of an environmental impact assessment.

The pool, which is now in a state of disrepair, is located at the southern end of Tynemouth Longsands beach. Built in the 1920s, it is a rectangular concrete salt water tidal pool. It was a popular attraction for over 50 years, but started to fall out of fashion in the late 70s with the advent of cheap package holidays abroad.

The Local Authority demolished the buildings surrounding the pool in the mid 1990s, and filled the pool itself with rubble and concrete in the hope of encouraging marine life to make the pool its home. According to the Friends of Tynemouth Pool, "the anticipated marine life they introduced never flourished and the pool remains an eyesore to this day."

The group has been identifying sources of cash and running fundraising campaigns for the pool for several years, including a recent art exhibition entitled 'Make a Splash' which took place in North Shields in November.

However, with the whole project running at an estimated cost of £5m, there's still some way to go until the renovation can start in earnest.