“No realistic prospect” of restoration of Tynemouth outdoor pool
There is no realistic chance of restoring Tynemouth’s outdoor pool to its former glory, council bosses have warned.
Despite long-running efforts to breathe new life into the derelict seaside attraction, which closed in the mid-1990s, local authority officials say that there is no sign of the project becoming viable and they will now move on to alternative options for its future.
However, local campaigners who have led the proposals told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that they remain “committed and increasingly confident” that the lido can be reopened.
North Tyneside Council’s planning committee ruled in summer 2023 that it was minded to grant planning permission for the scheme, subject to a number of conditions being met by the Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool.
But correspondence seen by the LDRS now reveals that council chiefs are convinced that it cannot go ahead as hoped.
The council letter claims that the estimated cost of the pool repairs is now likely to exceed £25 million, having previously been stated as around £10 million in 2024.
It states that deadlines in June and November 2025 for the Friends to provide details of funding and delivery plans for the restoration were missed.
John Sparkes, the council’s director of regeneration and economic development at North Tyneside Council, said: “We recognise and appreciate the commitment and hard work that the Friends of Tynemouth Outdoor Pool have invested in trying to bring forward a swimming facility at the site. Unfortunately, the viability of the scheme has not been demonstrated.
“The estimated costs involved are around £25 million. Public sector and private sector funding options have been explored and there has been no indication that funding is available on this scale.
“This means that there is no realistic prospect of the proposals being delivered. While this will understandably be disappointing for those involved, the council has a responsibility to look at alternative options for the future of the site that are achievable and sustainable, to support the coastal economy.
“We are grateful to the Friends group for their dedication and enthusiasm, and we will continue to engage with them as they consider their next steps.”
The 2023 application for the restoration of the 25-metre pool received huge public support, including more than 1,900 public messages on the council’s planning portal.
Michael Wood, co-founder of Future Lidos and part of the Friends Group, said the community organisation is not giving up.
He said: “We are aware of the communication from NTC, sent in November 2025. This forms one piece of the ongoing negotiation and dialogue between the council and ourselves to obtain planning permission, whilst understanding and building a robust business proposal for this complex, important strategic site.
“Further messages have been exchanged after this and we remain in very positive ongoing communication about this exciting project for the North East region. Working with a diverse range of national and regional partners, we remain committed and increasingly confident that we will deliver a sustainable, iconic outdoor pool to the site at the south end of the Longsands, that we look forward to announcing in due course.
“The overwhelming public support to our planning application in June 2023, alongside cross party political support, provides the mandate to exhaust all possibilities together to create a regional asset of significant value.”