IPSWICH: After eight years of lying vacant the fate of Broomhill Pool will be decided in a matter of weeks, The Evening Star can reveal today.

The facility was closed by Ipswich Borough Council in 2002 after engineers deemed it unsafe and too expensive to restore.

But there is fresh hope the lido could be in line for refurbishment after it emerged at least two operators are interested in Broomhill.

Andrew Cann, the borough council portfolio holder for culture, said there were competing bids for the pool, one of which had been submitted by a firm called Fusion Lifestyle.

“I would expect the decision on Broomhill to be announced in the coming weeks,” he said.

“It will be great to resolve it one way or another because this is something which has clearly gone on for a long time now and something which has left a lot of people frustrated.”

Mark Ling, fundraising and publicity officer for the Broomhill Pool Trust, which has been lobbying Ipswich Borough Council to re-open the site, told The Evening Star that it was a very important time for the site.

He said: “We believe a decision is imminent and after a decade of campaigning we still hope the people of Ipswich will voice the fact that they want these facilities back.

“We can’t leave this site to decline and mothball, it’s exciting to think that it could be restored to its former glory.”

It is understood that the plans submitted by Fusion Lifestyle include a multi-million pound scheme including a state of the art fitness centre.

Fusion Lifestyle boasts 52 sports, leisure and community centres across the country, including 38 swimming pools and three outdoor pools – two of which are Grade II listed.

Other facilities run by the leisure company include a series of health and fitness centres, five-a-side football pitches and one ice arena.

A spokeswoman from Fusion Lifestyle said that they were unable to comment at this time.

n Would you like to see Broomhill Pool up and running again? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk