BBCThe trustees of a restored lido that was closed due to flood damage have admitted it “might not be possible” to reopen the pool after almost two years of delays.
Bath’s Cleveland Pools Trust spent 20 years raising £9.3m to restore the Georgian lido and after several setbacks and millions of pounds of public money, it reopened in September 2023.
But four months later it closed after flooding caused “significant damage”. In a long-awaited financial report on Companies House, the trustees said they are still “fully-committed” to finding a solution but there was a risk they would not be able to afford to pay for repairs.
The trustees have been approached for a comment.
Cleveland Pools in Bath reopened for the first time in 40 years in September 2023, after trustees raised money from local donors, Bath and North East Somerset Council and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
In the report, it states that trustees went back to the National Lottery Heritage Funding asking for more money to “carry out investigations to assess the cause and extent of the damage”.
“The risk that the cost to repair the pools and the plantroom will be substantial and beyond the resources available to the trust,” the report stated.
“There is therefore a risk that the pools cannot be repaired and reopened.
“To mitigate against this risk the trust is exploring all potential avenues that would allow the pools to be repaired and reopened, including but not limited to legal recourse and external funding.”
The trustees’ next steps are to finalise the investigation works and costs of repairs and then work with the council and National Lottery Fund to secure funding, the report added.
First opening in 1815, the pool was used by the public for more than 160 years before closing in 1984.
A lottery spokesperson previously said: “As part of our responsibility to ensure accountability, effectiveness, and efficient use of public funds we are continuing to monitor the situation, and The National Lottery Heritage Fund is meeting regularly with the Cleveland Pools Trust as they work toward a solution.”
The trustees are working as volunteers and receive no payments for their work, the report added.
