LETTER: How much would a restored Grange lido actually be used?

Since then several expensive consultants’ reports have been commissioned by South Lakeland District Council and Grange Town Council. None of these has produced a viable, costed plan for re-opening the lido as an outdoor swimming pool.

Similarly, the recent online petition to ‘Save Grange lido’ is not supported by a business plan with identified sources of capital funding and additional funding to subsidise running costs during the winter and periods of inclement weather.

Their plan does include providing a café and a gym on the lido site but does not explain how these will provide funding to help cover the pool running costs.

What about the two cafés, run by local people, that are already on the promenade? One of these is near the lido site. Are they planning to put these cafés out of business to help fund the lido?

Do they really think that enough people will be prepared to walk long distances from their cars, in all weathers, to swim in an outdoor swimming pool? It is a ten-minute brisk walk from Main Street car park to the lido and an eight-minute brisk walk from Cart Lane or from Berners car park.

Before the lido was closed patrons could park their cars in Berners car park and then use the Berners footbridge to cross the railway to the nearby swimming pool.

Unfortunately, SLDC arranged for Berners bridge (Right of Way), to be demolished in 2006 because they had failed to put it on their routine maintenance schedule when they took over responsibility for its upkeep in 1974 and it was deemed to be unsafe.

A recent report to SLDC on the economic potential of Grange-over-Sands noted that the re-instatement of Berners bridge over the railway with a direct link from Berners car park to the area of the promenade near the lido, was critical to the success of any development on the lido site. There is no mention of this in the ‘Save Grange lido’ business plan.

Valerie H. Kennedy

Kents Bank