The owner of Saltdean Lido is disputing a council order to make £800,000 repairs to the Grade II listed structure.
The leaseholder Denis Audley told people at the second of three public meetings on Monday that he believed the repairs are the responsibility of freeholders Brighton and Hove City Council.
But, the Brighton Bits blog reports, Councillor Linda Hyde, chair of the Planning Committee strongly denied this. Councillor David Smith, who sits on the committee, also stated that a 146 notice requiring repairs had been served on Mr Audley.
Mr Audley told the meeting the number of visitors to the Art Deco outdoor swimming pool had plummeted from 15,000 to 1,000 a year in the last ten years.
He attributed this to poor weather, but residents countered it was more likely to be the result of bad management.
Mr Audley’s presentation, available on the Save Saltdean Lido Campaign website,
He has presented three options – the original scheme of 80 flats and a pool closure, a minimal scheme with housing and some community improvement, and an optimum scheme.
This would include keeping the pools open, and fulfilling the community’s wish list of a youth centre, indoor pool, play area, cafe and garden extension, which with other contributions would deliver more than £4m in community value.
The payoff would be more housing, with a six storey block of flats proposed – the final numbers to be negotiated with the council.
The Brighton Bits blog comments: “On the whole Mr Audley now seems to be very much on the back foot in this affair and, this being the case, it was embarrassing that some residents chose to descend to personal attacks.”
Please will you change the water in the pool and paint and seal pool walls and replace with fresh water instead of leaving it for over 10 years now to leave the water to turn black and poore endless chemicals into it every year??, it is dangerous for not just adults but for children!
Personally it would be ideal for your funding situation to make the main pool undercovered then it can be used all year round and the income problem would be resolved,the community would benefit tremdously from these pointers.