Dozens protest plan to close Stratford Park lido
It's as council chiefs warn of health risks
More than 50 people rallied outside Ebley Mill to call on civic chiefs to save Stratford Park lido as they recommended it not be opened this summer amid safety fears.
Stroud District Council is in need of securing £5m for works to be able to upgrade and reopen the much-loved open air swimming pool which saw 30,000 people use it in 2025.
A number of independent surveys show that the 89-year-old facility now needs significant work after further deterioration over the winter.
Council officers say the scale and interconnected nature of the site means the work needs to be completed together.
As a result, it cannot open for the summer season this year, the community services and licensing committee was told.
Councillors have recommended that Stratford Park should be maintained within the existing budgets in line with a four year development plan for the site.
And the committee also agreed to recommend the lido should be temporarily closed for the 2026 season.
During its closure, the idea would be to engage with the local community and voluntary organisations, and work collaboratively to allow community-led fundraising aimed at securing third party investment.
Setting aside £900,000 from the lido’s capital programme for maintenance work as match-funding should they secure enough external funding by January 2028, has also recommended by the committee.
Councillors also agreed to recommend that £650,000 be set aside to fund gym equipment replacement and refurbishment works at Active Lifestyles Stroud.
And they also suggest officers explore additional refurbishment works that could be delivered within the approved budget.
These proposals will be put to the strategy and resources committee before a final vote by full council.
Keith Gerrard, strategic director for communities, told the meeting that recent assessments suggest using the lido would pose a health and safety risk to the public.
“There are cracks and new cracks at the base of the diving board,” he said.
“The pool surface in the tank is falling to pieces and will cause when water is in it and disturbed a clouding of the water.
“There are numerous fall and trip hazards across the piece.
“We’ve got an ageing and deteriorating condition of the plant. The pumps, the filters, and the pipe work are 89 years old.”
He said balancing that, with the timescale for rectifying the pumps, means the council are in a position where they cannot open the lido in 2026.
“I don’t believe we can rectify those in time for opening this season,” he added.
“There will be costs involved. There are faults in four main areas. Around the diving board, in the pool, in the plant room, around the poolside.
“The pool is not going to open this summer because we cannot do the work to make it safe enough for the public to use it before procurement.”
Leisure services manager Darren Young explained further the rationale behind temporarily closing the lido.
It would allow the council to work with the community to raise capital to upgrade the facility and open it “at the earliest possible date”, he said.
He also said a remarkable amount of people have come forward to offer support in the fundraising efforts.
“The lido is highly valued,” he said but there was no genuinely low cost path to make it safe.
Cries of shame were heard from the packed public gallery before Labour Councillor Shyama Ananthan (Stroud Farmhill and Paganhill) asked how the council’s estimate of costs moved from £900k to £5m in a short period.
She cited a report from a couple of years ago which suggested essential repairs for the outdoor pool would be £370,000.
Officers said the previous reports were based on “very light touch” visual inspections and were “taken at face value”.
Angela Gillingham, head of community services, said when the first costings were done it was by the council’s property team.
But when external specialists were brought in to look at the state of the infrastructure the cost analysis came back with a significant difference.
“The cost analysis does include a 20 per cent contingency,” she said and explained that the £5.1m estimate “took us all by surprise”.
Cllr Ananthan still felt the proposal to temporarily close the lido was not justified.
Her comments were met with a round of applause from the public.
Cllr Elizabeth Stanley (L, Cainscross) asked if it was going to be dangerous if they opened the lido.
“I want to be absolutely certain about this,” she said.
Mr Gerrard said in his opinion reopening the lido this year would be dangerous.
He also said there is danger that if there was an accident the council could not defend themselves.
“There are cumulative and ongoing problems that have gotten worse over the season.”
He said it was “touch and go” last year and now they know more and it has gotten worse.
Officers said at the moment the estimate is that the minimum amount of time to make the lido safe to use would be 12 months.
Councillor Gill Thomas (G, Minchinhampton), who attended the meeting in her swimming costume showing her support for the lido, asked if they could get a second opinion which officers confirmed they could do.
“Could you do it tomorrow”, asked a member of the public.
During the debate, Cllr Martin Brown (G, Bisley) proposed the recommendations from the chair and this was seconded by Cllr Thomas.
She said working together across parties would help secure the future of the lido potentially under a community ownership model.
And, while she did not want to vote for the temporary closure, she felt short-term loss could provide long-term gain.
“If that means closing then it may be necessary to secure its future for generations to come,” she said.
Cllr Jonathan Edmunds (G, Randwick, Whiteshill and Ruscombe) said he too wants to see the lido and all the facilities being used and that the temporary closure was a difficult decision to make.
Despite not being a member of the committee, Cllr Martin Baxendale (G, Stroud Valley) was among those, along with Cllr Kate Kay (G, Nailsworth), who were allowed to speak.
He echoed her calls for an urgent structural report to see if they truly needed to close it for this summer. And said maximum transparency is needed going forward.
Cllr Kay also called for a draft plan which includes potential funding opportunities. This was also agreed by the committee.
Councillors ultimately voted in favour of the officer’s recommendations along with intention to fund a condition survey of the lido and develop a clear plan which looks at the potential funding opportunities for the lido.
Caroline Molloy, one of the many members of the publicwho attended the meeting, spoke to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
She said: “We find out tonight that Stroud District Council haven’t conducted any new condition survey, just some visual checks.
“They admit the £5.1m contains things that are unnecessary. And do not know how much the actual essential works would cost, or how long they would take.
“Why on earth are they only asking for a survey now. What have they been doing for the last six months?
“It sounds like very little really changed over the winter – indeed it’s been like this for years!”