Portishead Pool Community Trust took over the running of the open air pool in 2009 from North Somerset Council. There had been a lack of investment in the fabric of the buildings and plant for many years, particularly since the opening of the indoor leisure centre. There was a televised makeover in 2009 before the pool re-opened for the summer season, but this mainly addressed superficial issues. Cracks in the base of the tank and the pipework due to ground movement were an issue from the start and were patched up a number of times, but it was always the plan to do a major refurbishment when sufficient funds were available.
At the end of the 2016 season however, there was a major water loss which meant the pool had to close earlier than planned, and the refurbishment programme was brought forward. Carl Porter, our managing director at Clear Pro Pools (CP Pools Ltd), had been personally recommended to the Trust by another lido, and during site surveys he discussed many different options with the Trust including a deck level pool and different finishes to the pool tank, ultimately deciding on a complete refurbishment including a system of skimmers and a new liner to be installed on top of the existing ceramic tiles.
The plant room was also badly in need of updating in line with modernisation of the pool tank – the sand filters had originally been installed in 1962 ,and the current sand was already due for replacement. In addition the pumps and pipe sizes were not up to modern design standards and struggled to cope with the flow rates required, especially on busy days. Clear Pro Pools introduced the Trust to Glyn Lucas from DG Pool & Leisure who produced the final filtration scheme for the plant room.
Work started on 1 February 2017, with the excavating of the perimeter pipework and removal of the old scum channels. The new skimmers and pipework were installed and the edges of the pool made good ready for the installation of the new liner. Meanwhile the existing filtration plant was broken up and removed by DG Pool & Leisure and replaced with the new plant.
The job came in on time and on budget, and the Trust and pool users were delighted with the outcome. In 2018, Clear Pro Pools (CP Pools Ltd) scooped a Gold Standard Award for Commercial Refurbishment Project of The Year at the UK Pool & Spa Awards.
Watch the refurbishment video from the Trust on YouTube.
Night photo of Lido © Ben Maliphant, 2017
