A grant has kick started Saltdean Lido's £5 million fundraising drive to enable its restoration.

Saltdean Lido is the UK's only Grade II star listed lido and one of only three remaining seaside lidos in the country.

In May 2012, Brighton and Hove City Council agreed to take back control of the lido following a campaign to safeguard it, granting a 60-year lease to Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company (CIC) in December last year with a clear remit to restore, renovate and modernise the pool and the art deco building.

The building also gained the backing of Sir Terence Conran, whose architectural practice Conran and Partners, which specialises in art deco buildings, has drawn up restoration plans as an alternative to proposals to convert it into residential accommodation.

Saltdean Lido CIC has said it will use the £61,330 from the Community Asset and Services Grant programme, managed by the Social Investment Business (SIB) group, an investor in civil society organisations, to cover surveys of the building and pool, feasibility studies into catering and room hire, and legal costs.

Multimillion pound grant applications are also being submitted to organisations including the Heritage Lottery Fund, according to Saltdean Lido CIC.

Rebecca Crook, chairwoman of Saltdean Lido CIC, said: "We sincerely thank SIB for this grant which is the first step of many that will be needed for us to raise the funds we need.

"The CIC hopes to take full ownership of the site later in the year, although the extensive building works required will mean it will be closed for around two years."

Caroline Forster, director of investments at SIB, said: "Saltdean Lido is an iconic site of immense cultural value.

"Our mission is to support groups like the CIC in providing services that make life better for the community they serve."