THE country’s only Grade II* listed lido will reopen this May and have heated water for the first time, The Argus can exclusively reveal.

Swimmers will be able to dive into the 40m pool of the Saltdean Lido for the first time in more than five years this May Bank Holiday - and this new photograph shows just how well building works are progressing.

The announcement of an opening date comes two days after Brighton and Hove City Council gifted the project a further £700,000 for the renovation of its Art Deco buildings and protection of the library housed within.

Rebecca Crook, chairwoman of the Saltdean Lido community interest company (CIC) formed seven years ago to restore the outdoor pool for the city’s use, was thrilled to be able to have a launch date at last.

She said: “It’s really exciting we’re going to be open in May.

“We started this project in 2010 so that’s a seven year story but it’s going to be amazing. It’s looking incredible, it looks absolutely brilliant.

“We can’t wait. We’re going to have a big opening ceremony on the last weekend of May, the bank holiday. We haven’t confirmed yet whether it will be Friday 26 or Saturday 27, but it’ll be that weekend.”

“It’s looking amazing down there we’re really pleased with the progress.”

Although the Lido only closed in 2012, the previous owner made it known in 2010 that he was considering demolition and redevelopment, and in the meantime the council took back the lease and put it out to a tender which was won by the CIC.

Hopes are high that the renovated Saltdean pool will attract more visitors than ever - because for the first time the water will be heated, leaving no excuse for those who are not keen on a chilly dip.

Now that most of the building works on the pool are complete, attention is starting to turn to the larger and more expensive project of renovating the rest of the 1937 building.

Detailed plans have been made to apply for a £4.2m Lottery bid towards restoring the building, and a result is expected in March.

The project would require demolition of an extension housing Saltdean Library. The £700,000 from the council will pay for a temporary facility to ensure library services are uninterrupted and an extension providing permanent library facilities.

Simon Kirby, who has been associated with the project for several years, said yesterday: “Having campaigned for Saltdean Lido for many years, I am delighted to hear the council has agreed to give financial support.

“I look forward to seeing the Lido open as an attraction for both tourists and local residents.”

IT’LL BE GOING SWIMMINGLY IN THE SUN THIS SUMMER

AFTER struggling against funding crises, electrical problems, concerns about rival developments and even the unpredictable British weather, the renovation of Saltdean Lido has entered the final straight and the pool will reopen this summer.

Photographs taken yesterday show just how impressive the site is now looking and with a formal launch date of May 29 announced, it is time to get excited about enjoying this listed Art Deco building.

It will be warm – we hope – and it will be sunny – we pray – as visitors enter through the main kiosk.

That will be situated beyond the eastern end of the curved Art Deco building in a space currently fenced off and used for site refuse.

The Community Interest Company has not confirmed the entry price although the council has made some encouraging noises about the possibility of combined tickets or memberships which will allow residents access to its indoor pools and gyms as well as the lido.

The changing block is the last element of the construction to be started, and will be located on the immediate left of visitors as they go past the turnstiles. You can see the area not covered by paving stones, in the photograph.

Once trunks and costumes are on, swimmers will emerge on to poolside and be met with a huge uninterrupted expanse of blue.

The main pool is already largely complete and chrome steps are being installed around the edge this weekend.

The pool measures more than 40m from end to end, so serious swimmers will be able to get the best workout for miles around, even if traditional racing lengths will have to be approximations.

Just over two minutes for five laps would make for a pretty good 200m race time for anyone keen to set an early venue record once the swimming pool opens.

The pool will increase in depth from the north to the south to a maximum of 1.9 metres.

This means that, unlike most pools, it will have a “deep side” and a “shallow side” rather than a deep end and a shallow end.

The broad sweep of the main steps into the pool, on the north side, are set in the middle with a fountain designed in keeping with the Richard Jones-designed main building.

A jet of water will be spraying up over the bathers, leaving a rainbow shining through the air.

An oval children’s paddling pool about 12m in diameter is out of our main shot, on the south side of the main pool, and there will be a wet play area alongside where kids can romp and enjoy themselves, keeping cool as they run around.

Sun loungers and deckchairs will line the poolside area, but the premium space will be a long grass strip on the lido’s south side.

The May opening will not include access to the 1937 Art Deco building and its appealing rooftop suntrap, so anyone keen to work on their tan will have to make themselves comfortable at ground level.

If you get peckish there will be a pop-up café on site. The details are still to be determined by the company and a permanent restaurant will have to wait until the entire property is completed. This is expected to be in 2020.

Once the building is restored there will be a large open-plan café/restaurant, community spaces and a library.

It will represent a hard-fought and well-won return to glory for a majestic building that will make Saltdean swimming the envy of the South Coast.

NOW TIME FOR PHASE TWO

THE £3 million cost of redeveloping and reopening the outdoor pool at Saltdean Lido has been raised and spent, and with the final touches being put to the concourse, attention is turning to the building itself.

A major boost to the project came this week when the city council approved a £700,000 grant which will go towards keeping Saltdean library, housed in the building, going even during development work to the wing of the building in which it is currently situated.

The bulk of the remaining funds needed, around £10 million, may come from a Heritage Lottery Fund grant for which the community firm behind the project has applied.

Rebecca Crook, chairwoman of the Saltdean Lido CIC, said: “The main building, with the £700,000 we’ve received from the council, is part of the big project where we need millions and millions.

“We’ve put in a bid for £4.6 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund, but this money is crucial.

“The reason it was so important to get that money from the council is because that shows Heritage that we’ve got other sources of funding coming in.”

A decision on the funding is expected in March. The plans submitted say the idea is to “sympathetically restore the building whilst creating a commercially viable leisure destination”.

The CIC says it aims to turn the facility into a national tourist destination, generating new employment and volunteering opportunities.

Council leader Warren Morgan said of the grant: “It would assist restoration of Saltdean Lido, a nationally important Art Deco building, providing jobs, community and leisure facilities and a new tourist attraction. It would also ensure library services are not interrupted by building works and upgrade Saltdean Library as part of a programme to improve neighbourhood libraries all over the city.

“That bucks a national trend for councils to close libraries.”