Ipswich Broomhill Lido restoration in question after funding

The £10m project to restore the 1938-built Broomhill Lido was given a final go-ahead last year after a funding deal was reached between Fusion-Lifestyle, the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and Ipswich Borough Council, as well as getting planning approval from the council.

The borough, which owns the site, contributed £3.3m, while the national charity was set to put in £6.8m. 

However, the National Lottery has now pulled its funding, with the council believing that this was done because of Fusion's financial position. 

Meanwhile, stakeholders in the development remain optimistic, claiming they will find another applicant to get the refurbishment through. 

Broomhill Lido plans were approved in December (Image: KLH architects)

The site has been empty since 2002 (Image: Newsquest)

National Lottery said: "Unfortunately, despite this support, work has not yet begun on site.

"As custodians of National Lottery funding, we have had to make the difficult decision to withdraw our grant for this particular project.

"We understand this will be disappointing news as we recognise the significance of Broomhill Pool to the local community — both as a cherished historic site and a place filled with fond memories."

The council said that they were disappointed in the decision made by the fund and that Fusion could not assure them about their financial position. 

Mark Ling, left, and Neil MacDonald, right, have both previously spoken about the importance of this restoration (Image: Mark Ling) A spokesperson for the borough said: "We are disappointed that the National Lottery Heritage Fund has made this difficult decision.

"Ipswich Borough Council remains committed to the restoration of the much treasured Broomhill Lido and pledges to work with the Broomhill Trust to try to find a way forward.

"We also have a meeting scheduled with the National Lottery Heritage Fund next week to look at how we might be able to progress the project."

Mark Ling remains optimistic about the future of the lido (Image: Newsquest) The chair of the lido's trust, Mark Ling, still remains optimistic about the future of the site. 

He said: "It looks to be a setback, but actually we are kind of quite revealed because I think people need to understand how funding works. 

"So, we have a scheme here, of which 95% to 98%  is already covered by the council and the Heritage Lottery, but the issue is that Fusion Lifestyle have a very difficult financial position, and weren't able to provide financial guarantees to proceed with the scheme.

"We will continue working to find a new applicant. The trust is still very hopeful that we could come out in a stronger position from this." 

Jack Abbott MP said this is not the end of the road for Broomhill Lido (Image: Roger Harris/ House of Commons) Meanwhile, Ipswich MP Jack Abbott added: "This news is disappointing, but it does not mark the end of the road.

"I am pleased that Ipswich Borough Council remains resolutely committed to finding a solution for Broomhill Lido.

“I will continue to work with the Council, the National Lottery, and other partners to find a way forward that delivers this landmark project for our town.”