An Ipswich campaigner has welcomed the plans to restore the historic 1930s lido where his parents met.

Mark Ling, chairman of the Broomhill Pool Trust, has been part of the group that has been lobbying for around 21 years for the reopening of the site.

The plans were submitted by Fusion Lifestyle once again this week to restore the venue to its former art deco glory, along with a new gym, fitness suite, and outdoor café.

Previous plans for the site were approved in 2019 but thwarted due to the Covid pandemic, and permission consequently expired.

The Grade II listed building first opened in April 1938, and has remained derelict since closing in 2002, when indoor pools became more fashionable and funding went towards various other swimming venues in the town.

Ipswich Star: An impression of the plans by KLH Architects.An impression of the plans by KLH Architects. (Image: Ipswich Borough Council/KLH Architects)

Mr Ling said he hopes to bring Broomhill to a new generation when it reopens.

He said: "The scheme and plans are terrific. Lidos had perhaps gone out of fashion years ago, but now people are realising how valuable they are historically and architecturally.

"The older generations living here will remember the old Broomhill, but the younger generations have not experienced it and these are the people we hope to appeal to.

"It's a great place for youngsters to meet. It is something for the town to be very proud of."

He added that his parents met at Broomhill, where there were "many romances": "My parents met there in the late 1950s, married in 1963, and bought a house opposite, in Sherrington Road, in 1965.

Ipswich Star: Mark Ling at Broomhill pool in 2013.Mark Ling at Broomhill pool in 2013. (Image: Lucy Taylor/Archant)

"My brother was born in 1965, and I was born 1969. We grew up with Broomhill as a big part of our lives.

"We had a park behind our house, a library up the street, and a magnificent lido across the road.

 "If I had been born a millionaire, I wouldn't have had a better start in life, which is why I'm so proud to be from Ipswich."

Ipswich Star: Broomhill pool on a summer's day in 1975.Broomhill pool on a summer's day in 1975. (Image: Archant)

The pool is expected to reopen in the summer of 2026.