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Restored lido will be 'holiday at home'

Sophie CridlandSouth of England
News imageBBC A blue rubber duck floating on light blue water that is on a light blue pool with changing rooms in different colours in the background.BBC
The pool has been shut for four years

The new operators of a revamped 1930s lido have promised it will offer local residents a "holiday at home".

Hilsea Lido in Portsmouth closed to swimmers in 2022, with work to transform the outdoor pool starting in May 2024.

A £7.6m renovation programme has seen the pool, toilets and changing rooms transformed.

Speaking at a publicity event ahead of its official reopening on 2 May, Harry Smith, of the operators Sea Lanes, said he hoped it would be "packed" during the summer months.

The reopening of the pool is set to coincide with the 91st anniversary of its original opening in 1935.

The 67m (220ft) long and 13m (43ft) wide lido will have chlorinated fresh water and will be unheated when it reopens.

For phase one of the renovations, the pool has had its base and walls reinforced.

The old equipment and shallow lagoons have also been replaced and new showers and toilets have been added.

Phase two is under review with a long-term sustainable heating solution set to be part of the plans.

Smith said: "We want it to feel like a holiday at home for the local community.

"It's somewhere that they can come and enjoy for a whole day, enjoy the lawns, enjoy the sun and the pool.

"Also, to be there for endurance swimmers that want to do lengths up and down - so something for everyone is really what we want to do."

News imageMarcin Jedrysiak A wide view of one end of the pool, with a small amount of water in it, with two workmen in orange hi-vis vests walking alongsideMarcin Jedrysiak
News imageMarcin Jedrysiak A wooden fence with a coloured block with the words 'Female showers and toilet' with old pictures and colourful designsMarcin Jedrysiak
Photographed earlier this year, the pool has been fully renovated with its base and walls reinforced, old equipment replaced and its original shallow lagoons restored.
The complex will have new showers and toilets, including a Changing Places toilet and a sauna.

The project was part of Portsmouth City Council's Transforming the Visitor Economy bid, which was awarded £20m of central government funding.

Dame Penny Mordaunt, the former Portsmouth North MP, who was involved since the early stages of the renovation plans, said: "We really believed in saving this for our city and we were right to keep going with it."

Council leader Steve Pitt said: "We're over the moon that Hilsea Lido will open its doors in just a couple of months.

"This milestone comes as Portsmouth proudly marks 100 years of city status, making 2026 a truly special year."

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