This is a briefing for people attending the Strategy & Resources vote on the lido on Thursday 16 April 2026. You can also download this briefing as a PDF.
Contents
- Summary: The lido can open this summer
- History: The council’s figures – how did we get here?
- What it actually costs: A plan for opening
- Why it’s doable: The council already has £900,000 set aside for this
- What next? Beyond the truly essential
- What now? Our ask for councillors on Thursday 16 April
1. Summary: The lido can open this summer
The council says it needs £5.1 million. An independent engineer says under £120,000
On Thursday 16 April, Stroud District Council will vote on the future of Stratford Park Lido. The council’s papers put the cost of repairs at £5.1 million for “essential maintenance”. However, this figure includes adding heating, replacing the lining with an expensive stainless steel system, and making it shallow throughout.
An independent civil engineer working with SOLS, backed by contractor quotes, puts the cost of a comprehensive pre-season programme of works at around £120,000.
It’s important the lido stays open, to support the community and prevent further physical deterioration – and we can do it, safely and affordably. Help us get the council back on track and open the lido this year.
2. History: The council’s figures – how did we get here?
Over two years, the cost of repairing and refurbishing the lido grew from £0.8m (which the council had democratically agreed to spend) to £1.8m to £5.1m (which we do not have). At each step of this, more non-essential work was added.
In their current papers, the council still insists this £5.1m is “essential refurbishment”, and “the minimum recommended works needed to keep the 50m lido operational” – but it appears there has been considerable mission creep with very little democratic discussion and scrutiny.
| Date | Figure | What changed |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 2023 | £375,000 | Preventative maintenance survey by PMP |
| Jan 2024 | £444,000 | Broadwater add full plantroom replacement (worst case, not needed at this point according to Tam Engineering, leading SW lido engineers) |
| Mar 2024 | £829,000 | Combined total – all identified repairs, replacement and preventative maintenance. |
| July 2024 | £900k AGREED by full council | This remains the only decision taken by the council. |
| Feb 2025 | £1,857,000 | Contractor fees, professional services and additional works added by a report apparently authored by a non-engineering consultant, including replacement of pipework and other plant without robust evidence of need. |
| Jun-Oct 2025 | £5,100,000 | Alliance Leisure adds heating and stainless steel pool lining (they also suggest even more expensive options up to £10m). |
| March 2026 | Officers recommend closure as SDC doesn’t have £5.1m. | |
The £5.1m was produced by Alliance Leisure – a private consultancy hired to design redevelopment options.
It includes work that is not required to open the lido: a full heating system, making it shallow throughout, and a replacement of the concrete pool shell with an expensive stainless steel system. These are (arguably) improvements, not repairs.
Cheltenham told SOLS their pool has many elements that Stroud’s proposals suggest scrapping. They are successful with a concrete pool liner and 1930s plant (machinery).
There is no “repair and maintain” option in the council’s papers. Councillors have been asked to choose between closing the lido and spending £5.1m without seeing a costing for simply fixing what needs fixing.
3. What it actually costs: A plan for opening
An independent chartered civil engineer and a specialist pool engineer visited the lido in March 2026. They concluded:
“From my review of the risk assessment there is nothing that should prevent the pool being opened albeit later than maybe planned.”
They have sent the council detailed estimations of the work they think is needed to safely open this year.
Costing based on contractor quotes and a condition report:
| Category | Cost ex VAT |
|---|---|
| Pool works (shot-blast, slab repair, steps, grilles) | £24,938 |
| Pool surround (coping stones, paving, handrails, diving slab, signage) | £22,473 |
| Plant room (pump, filters, pipework, roof, walls, replacement pump in storage) | £48,279 |
| Subtotal — works | £95,689 |
| Project management and engineer oversight | £7,500 |
| Water treatment startup | £750 |
| 17% contingency (same rate applied by SDC) | £17,669 |
| Total | £121,609 |
This covers everything – every outstanding maintenance item, all surveys, professional fees, and the same contingency rate the council applies to its own figures.
Even with full contingency and fees, the campaign’s figure is less than 2.5% of the council’s £5.1 million.
4. Why it’s doable: The council already has £900,000 set aside for this
In July 2024, SDC approved £900,000 specifically for lido repairs and preventative maintenance. The lido ran a full season in 2025, with 31,000 people swimming, without that money being spent.
The council should not be moving the goalposts and making this agreed spend, conditional on match funding. Time is of the essence.
Our solution gets the lido open this year and still costs less than 14% of the budget SDC already approved for lido repairs.
5. What next? Beyond the truly essential
The bulk of the works itemised above would endure for 5-15 years, according to the estimates provided by the independent civil engineer, allow safe reopening, and need doing whatever happens, unless a full redevelopment is undertaken.
We think there is scope to improve revenue from the lido over the next few years. Quick wins include improving the booking system, opening times and on-site facilities like catering and coffee that would make visiting even more attractive. We would like to work with the council and other user groups to make this happen this summer.
6. What now? Our asks for councillors on 16 April
We’re calling on councillors to agree the following on Thursday 16 April:
- Agree the approach set out in this report, i.e. to undertake minimum viable repairs required to enable safe reopening for the school holidays – work which will also be a strong basis for ongoing refurbishment – and to treat the work as extremely urgent.
- Instruct officers to immediately agree the repairs required to reopen this summer, get quotes from contractors, and draw up a prioritised delivery schedule to enable summer opening.
- Undertake the work urgently using appropriate budgets, and delegated authority where necessary to expedite – bearing in mind that £900,000 capital borrowing has already been approved for lido repairs.
- Prioritise reopening for the community this summer, while working with the community (including SOLS) to plan for the longer term.
If you are a councillor and you would like to discuss this, or ask questions, we’d be delighted to hear from you – please get in touch.