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June 2022: Kenilworth Lido - Lower Cost and Lower Carbon

Restoring Kenilworth Lido would cost less financially and environmentally than Warwick District Council's (WDC) current plans to build two indoor pools in Abbey Fields.

Without a large 2 pool building the cost of materials would be less and construction costs would be lower. A smaller building to heat, light and maintain would bring down ongoing bills as well as reducing the carbon footprint. The challenge of managing humidity would also be reduced.

The rapidly growing popularity of outdoor swimming offers wider appeal and better accessibility than yet another indoor pool, making it a unique attraction which would benefit the local economy. With innovative Councils such as Hull, Plymouth and Howarth investing millions in the development and restoration of outdoor pools, it seems a backward step to end the long history of safe outdoor swimming in Kenilworth, with all the health and well being benefits it brings.

Budgets are tight, the economy is under pressure and there is a climate emergency, we therefore urge WDC to meet with the Lido Campaign Group and consider the Greener, Cheaper Lido option.

Give Kenilworth Lido a Fair Chance

Sign here for a proper ‘feasibility study’ into a modern lido in Abbey Fields

2/3rds of people questioned by Warwick District Council wanted to keep and redevelop an outside pool in Abbey Fields, but the Council’s preference for 2 indoor pools, is going to planning in September.

Please Sign our petition now to stop the wishes of the community being over-ruled and for a fair assessment into a modern eco-friendly lido which would also cost less than a small second indoor pool.

December 2019

Experts from the Sustainable Energy Technology Department at Warwick University's School of Engineering have analysed the Carbon Review commissioned by Warwick District Council, and found glaring errors and grave inadequacies. You can see their comments in red here

November 2019

WDC Public Consultation

Throughout November, WDC will consult again on the Abbey Fields swimming pool redevelopment. They'll tell you it's too late to save the only public outdoor swimming pool in the District.

This is not true. The council does not have planning permission. It can be changed!

ACT NOW - use Warwick District Council’s consultation to give your views. Use the free text boxes to make it clear that you wish to

keep an outdoor pool in Abbey Fields
have concerns about disabled access and parking
Believe it is important to limit environmental damage

For Our Future

17 Aug 2019

Warwick District Council Executive Decision Expected on Wednesday 21 August 2019

Warwick District Executive meet on Wednesday 21 August 2019 and if unchallenged are likely to make a decision that will see the end of over 120 years of outdoor swimming in Abbey Fields. Please support the campaign by writing to your District Councillor now. For information on how to do this please follow these instructions.

25 May 2019

Do Warwick District Council's plans for Abbey Fields Measure Up?

If you were enjoying the sunshine in Abbey Fields on Saturday at lunchtime, you might have seen a group of our supporters stretched out on a blue tarpaulin. Just for fun, we decided to see how the proposed Warwick District Council plans for the new indoor family and training pool measured up, and we invited passers by to join us for a "dip". At 15m x 8m, the proposed new indoor pool is considerably shorter than a tennis court and as you can see, with 14 people in the pool, swimming would be far from fun! More like a dodgems arcade!

Is this really what we want up to £9,000,000 of our taxes spent on?

03 May 2019

Huge potential for change from unprecedented local election results!

Lido supporting candidates have taken St Johns Ward (Lib dems) and Park Hill (Greens) in Kenilworth for Town Council and District Council.

Across the District we are delighted to see so many new councillors - many of who have said they will support the re opening the consultation into Abbey Fields Leisure redevelopment.

Thanks to our supporters in Kenilworth and further afield who have raised awareness until it was the most talked about topic in the elections. With the support of of the Greens, Liberal Democrats, Labour and independent councillors we hope people in the town will now be able to have their say about what swimming facilities they would like for the future.

The Kenilworth Lido campaign is now talking with new Councillors providing key background information so they can push for the options to be looked at again. Please keep talking to your newly elected Councillors and ask them what they are doing to live up to their promises.

Campaign update: Warwick District Council (WDC) ignore top QC David Wolfe's opinion that the consultation was unlawful!

The Conservative led Council are now ignoring both expert legal and public opinion about the future of outdoor swimming in the District.

Join the public rally on 17th April 5pm at Leamington Town Hall before the final full WDC meeting ahead of the local elections. Bring kids, friends and family, make placards and be ready to make your voices heard.

Despite Warwick District Council’s intransigence we remain upbeat and determined to fight on, taking the campaign in other directions. We are busy gathering the support of a growing number of local businesses and national organisations and will continue to listen to our community and campaign for this unique amenity.

The local community and other interested parties have raised thousands of pounds to secure the legal opinion of respected QC David Wolfe who advised that “the Council’s approach had not been fair and accordingly had been unlawful”. Warwick District Council’s wholesale rejection of this opinion and its refusal to negotiate further has made it impossible for the campaign group to take the legal challenge to court as the community cannot be expected to take the risk of paying the Council’s legal costs, but that doesn’t make it any less important.

We will continue to push for the Council to halt its decision to close the outdoor pool and take an open-minded approach to fully investigating the feasibility of a Lido option.

There are serious questions that remain unanswered on how WDC conducted its shortlisting process and the public consultation. In particular:

1. The way demand for swimming lessons was calculated (which underpins the decision), which failed to consider existing provision locally and the growing provision at Warwick University, Hatton Country World and other local pools.

2. The consultation process itself, which was poorly publicised, targeted only at existing users and reached only a small number of households at considerable Council Taxpayers expense.

3. Questions over the economic model used to assess the viability of a Lido and the fact that it failed to look at other successful Lidos, such as Stratford Park in Stroud, Droitwich, Banbury and Cheltenham and therefore did not understand, or communicate, the many real benefits of the Lido option.

To find out how you can help the campaign please follow this link

05 April 2019

Launch of Vision for Kenilworth Lido Initiative

This is your chance to let us have your ideas on how a 21st century Lido might look in Abbey Fields. Get started here!

02 April 2019

CrowdJustice Appeal continues

In the opinion of one of the most experienced Public Lawyers in the country QC David Wolfe,Warwick District Council acted unlawfully when it made its decision on 9th January 2019 to close Kenilworth outdoor pool at Abbey Fields.

With this information, we now urgently need to take legal action to challenge the decision before the statutory deadline of 9th April 2019. To do this we are asking for your help to reach our stretched fundraising target which is an additional £1500. As of today we need to find an additional £630.

Thank you so much for your generous donations to date - we hit our initial target in less than 3 weeks and have been overwhelmed by the support locally and nationally and are well on our way to hit the second target. This is a real indication of the strength of feeling against the decision to close our outdoor pool.

If you are able to help please follow the link below

The postcard campaign will continue and we will keep you updated on the details of the campaign on our Facebook and Twitter pages.

25 March 2019

We have a Case!

QC David Wolfe believes that Warwick District Council acted unlawfully when it made its decision on 9 January 2019 to close Kenilworth outdoor pool at Abbey Fields. This has been set out in a letter to Warwick District Council and a response is awaited.