Why Guildford Lido Will Not Be Opened This Summer

Published on: 22 Jul, 2020
Updated on: 24 Jul, 2020

The Guildford Lido

The Guildford Lido will remain closed this year. GBC Cllr James Steel, lead for the Environment, has said: “We are sorry to confirm that although the government now allows outdoor pools to open, we are unable to open Guildford Lido this summer. We haven’t taken this decision lightly.

Cllr James Steel

“We completely understand how disappointing this news will be and have taken this decision jointly with Freedom Leisure.

“We have reviewed the possible programme within the government restrictions and Swim England’s safety guidelines and we all felt a programme of pre-bookable one hour lane swimming was not going to meet customer’s expectations for their Lido experience or be sufficient to make the set up and operation of the venue cost-effective for the remaining six week season. But lane swimming will be on offer at Guildford Spectrum in the competition pool during August and September.

“Swim England’s guidelines indicate that only lane swimming would be practical, with visitors being granted a designated time slot. We know that the Lido is a much-loved local attraction where families and groups of friends come to relax and socialise for the whole day using the pool whenever you wanted. Under the new Covid 19 guidelines, Freedom Leisure would be unable to offer visitors that experience.”

The anticipated additional cost to operate the Lido is estimated to be £38,000 for August and a similar amount for September. This is on top of the annual operating costs.

Again, I am incredibly sorry to bring you this news and thank you in advance for your patience and understanding.

Responses to Why Guildford Lido Will Not Be Opened This Summer

Jane Hepburn Reply

July 22, 2020 at 3:54 pm

This is so disappointing.

Was there no way the council have asked the public whether lane swimming would have been a possible option?

Bookable lanes for an hour a time every day could have brought in more than the estimated running costs, couldn’t it?

£5 a session or weekly tickets or a reduced price season ticket? They might have been surprised how many swimming enthusiasts are out here willing to take up offers like that.
Diana Pollock Reply

July 23, 2020 at 11:40 am

How strange, many lidos all over the UK are already open using a booking system including Brockwell, Hampton, and Penzance. What’s happened here?
Ann Dawe Reply

July 26, 2020 at 9:56 am

Sadly, I think this is short-sighted.

Penzance Lido has managed to open with an army of volunteers. Hampton Pool has a fantastic app booking system in place, allowing a booked 40-minute swim, clearly following all the guidelines.

Guildford Lido has a lot to learn from the YMCA who run Hampton Pool.

Surely the GBC have a duty of care to their ratepayers for their health and well being, especially following a long lockdown.

Hampton Pool heats their pool 365 days of the year so GBC can’t claim their costs are more surely? Extremely disappointing decision by GBC and Freedom Leisure.