A charity has hit out at “bewildering” government funding decisions as it appealed for help to finance the last phase of a multimillion-pound project to reopen an outdoor swimming pool.
The Broomhill Pool Trust, which was founded in 2004, said it was still about £2m short of the total it needed to restore and reopen the pool.
A coalition of funders, involving the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the charity Fusion Lifestyle and the local authority Ipswich Borough Council, have invested £7m in the project since 2017.
But further funding stalled last week after the council failed to secure levelling up investment from the government.
Ipswich Council told local media that, in light of the levelling up decision, it would now “review the viability” of work to restore the pool. The trust said the coming months “may be the last chance” to save the facility.
In a statement, the Broomhill Pool Trust said the “outcome and spread” of levelling up funding were “bewildering”, highlighting the fact that Ipswich, in Suffolk, received no money, while neighbouring Cambridgeshire got £50m and Norfolk was awarded £40m.
The decision means the charity is still short of the financing it needs to complete the project.
Costs have risen significantly as a result of inflation and energy costs, the trust said, but “it possibly only needs another £1.5m to £2m to bridge the inflationary gap to get it over the line”.
The charity warned that, if the project was abandoned, taxpayers could face an expensive bill to either demolish Broomhill Pool or start a new restoration project from scratch.
Both main funders have committed to the future of the restoration.
A spokesperson for NLHF said: “We have awarded Fusion Lifestyle a grant of £3.4m to help restore Broomhill Pool into a site that can once again serve its local community.
“We understand that the project has been delayed due to significant increases in costs.
“Our funding award remains in place to help bring this project to fruition. We are in talks with Fusion Lifestyle and Ipswich Borough Council about next steps.”
Antony Cawley, chief executive of Fusion Lifestyle, said: “We are disappointed with the government’s decision not to support Broomhill’s levelling up fund bid.
“Fusion Lifestyle continues to be committed to the redevelopment of Broomhill Lido and we are currently working with our partners at Ipswich Borough Council and the NLHF to agree next steps.”
Cawley said he hoped to provide more information “in due course”.