The mayor for Bondi Beach in Sydney is among those lobbying a council in north-east England to support ambitious plans to restore an outdoor swimming pool that fell into disrepair during the 1970s.
Tynemouth outdoor pool was something of an institution for decades after its opening in 1925. Perched on the sprawling and golden Tynemouth Longsands beach, the concrete saltwater pool was a much-loved, if bracing, part of life for generations of local people and visitors.
Today it is an abandoned eyesore, but campaigners have been working for 11 years to bring the pool back to life in what has been described as one of the biggest community-led regeneration projects in the UK.
On Tuesday councillors in North Tyneside will decide its fate. Paula Masselos, the mayor of Waverley in Sydney, which includes Bondi Beach, is among those hoping the project will be looked on favourably.
She sent a video message from the Bondi outdoor pool, which had had “its share of ups and downs” but was now “one of the most recognisable tourist destinations in Australia”, she said.
“Life just wouldn’t be the same if we didn’t have access to these [outdoor] pools and the major role they play in our lives, our community and for our health and wellbeing,” said Masselos.
Barry Bell, a spokesperson for the Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool, is also hoping for a go-ahead, which is the only way of unlocking potential money from big funders. “If you look at the old pictures you can see how popular the pool was,” he said. “On a sunny day people would come to visit from all over the place, it was just a brilliant resource and a lovely day out.”
It was always cold, Bell conceded. “That’s one of the most common anecdotes you’ll hear from people who swam in the pool: that it was freezing and you’d get an ice-cream headache as soon as you dived in. But the pool we are proposing will be heated so we won’t be hearing those stories again, which is a good thing.”
Bell said it was one of “the most ambitious, if not the most ambitious” projects of its kind.
The pool’s decline began in the 70s as more people headed to the continent on cheap, guaranteed-sun package holidays. In the mid-90s the pool was closed. The campaign to save it began in 2012 after plans were announced to create an artificial beach on the site.
Almost 2,000 people have expressed support to the council. Planning officers have recommended refusal but Bell is hopeful councillors will vote in favour. Campaigners have estimated the cost at £7.75m.
“We’ve worked so damn hard over the last 11 years to get it to this stage because we are passionate about it,” said Bell. “We are passionate about swimming and passionate about the health and wellbeing of the local community. We think this will be a fantastic resource.”
