Tinside Lido revamp underway

£4.5m being splashed out

A £4.5 million transformation of Plymouth’s Tinside Lido, a flagship project in the UK’s first national marine park, begins next week.

The Grade II listed site will be designed to attract new visitors, support youth work and community use and help generate income from events and conferences.

The work has been funded by grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Youth Investment Fund, Levelling Up Fund and Plymouth City Council. It will have a multi-use space on the ground floor and a revamp of the single-storey building between the lido and Tinside Cove..

A renovated terrace will have  a new public seating area and multi-purpose event space will overlook Plymouth Sound, billed by Plymouth City Council leader Cllr Tudor Evans as one the best views in the city. It should be completed by the spring.

Cllr Evans (Lab, Ham) said: “Many will see Tinside Lido as the jewel in the crown of our national marine park and the renewal of this iconic building will breathe new life into Plymouth’s historic waterfront. This investment will create a modern, dynamic space that can be enjoyed by even more people, as well as truly celebrate the city’s relationship with the sea.”

Cllr Jemima Laing (Lab, Stoke), deputy leader and cabinet member for children’s social care, culture and events, added: “This is an amazing opportunity to work with and support young people, increasing children and young people’s positive engagement in the city’s green and blue spaces.”

The marine park is a £22 million, five-year programme, of which half is funded by the National Lottery.

During the development stage, thousands of children took part in events related to the sea and the local area.

Councillors were concerned that many of the city’s children had never visited the coast and wanted away to connect all residents with the ocean, making them “marine citizens”.

The marine park aims to teach young people about caring for the coastal environment and change the way people behave in order to protect it.

As well as building on existing research and innovations, projects under the park’s ‘nature boost programme’ will support the recovery of marine species in Plymouth Sound.

Another major part of the work will be restoring the garden at Mount Edgcumbe, which has a panoramic view over the Sound.