Campaigners petition for urgent action against Saltdean Lido's leaseholder (From The Argus)

Campaigners petition for urgent action against Saltdean Lido's leaseholder

9:27am Monday 20th June 2011 in News By Alice Goacher

Despite having won a battle to secure Grade II* listed status in March, the fight to save Saltdean Lido is by no means over.

Members of the Save Saltdean Lido Campaign have begun a petition calling on Brighton & Hove City Council to take urgent action against the lido’s leaseholder, Dennis Audley, who they claim is breaking the terms of his lease.

The petition, which needs a minimum of 2,000 signatures by July 14, demands that the council revoke the lease if Mr Audley does not comply with its terms and conditions.

According to the lease, the lido should be open to the public daily from May 31 to September 1 each year. However, campaigners claim that not only is the lido opening sporadically, but its lack of maintenance and poor refurbishments are dangerous.

Rebecca Crook, Chairperson of the Campaign, said: “Mr Audley claims he has spent ‘considerable funds on refurbishment to Saltdean Lido’, yet there is little evidence of this. The wooden sticks in plant pots which constitute as a volleyball facility and the unsafe timbers to make a climbing frame make a mockery of his comment.

“The lido was open on Saturday and this unsafe structure was fully open for anyone to use. It really was an accident waiting to happen as it was not even secured to the floor.

“It was only on Monday morning due to our phone calls to the council that the lido staff have since coned the area off and now claim it was only ever work in progress and are now pretending that they didn't even open on Saturday in order to avoid any ramifications over their actions.”

Miss Crook goes on to say: “The local residents of Saltdean and indeed all the supporters of the campaign send a clear message to the leaseholder and the council that the sub-standard work on the Grade II* listed site, continued disregard for the safety of the general public, lack of maintenance and sporadic opening hours that are breaching the lease will not be tolerated.

“We receive regular complaints from locals and visitors to the lido. For example, last week a resident was told she could swim but her children couldn’t because there was no lifeguard working. This is no way to operate a leisure facility.”

The campaign members have prepared and written a business plan in the hopes that the council revoke Mr Audley’s lease so that they can take over the site as a Community Interest Company and improve the building and its facilities.

The Save Saltdean Lido Campaign are urging local people to sign the Brighton & Hove City Council e-petition which can be accessed via their website: www.saltdeanlidocampaign.org

Follow the campaign on Twitter: @SaltdeanLido