What is next for Winchester lido campaign?

Winchester is set to get a new lido after years of campaigning by residents.

Sea Lanes, the company behind Brighton's popular lido, has been chosen to redevelop the former River Park Leisure Centre site under a 250-year lease agreed by Winchester City Council's cabinet.

The decision follows a long-running campaign for outdoor swimming in the city, backed by a petition that gathered thousands of signatures.

But questions remain over flood risk and the site's impact on the council's existing leisure centre.

Here is what is in the bid, what concerns have been raised and what happens next.

River Park Leisure Centre closed in 2020 after the council opened its Sport & Leisure Park at Bar End.

Since its closure, the site has cost about £40,000 a year just to maintain and secure.

A previous plan to hand the site to the University of Southampton fell through last year, prompting the council to launch a fresh search for a developer.

Twelve organisations initially expressed interest, ranging from a care home to a church with community space, before three formal bids went forward for evaluation, with Sea Lanes coming out on top.

A rival bid offering a bigger financial return - built around an indoor sports centre and a roughly 120-room "hometel" - was ruled out because it would have breached a legal covenant on the land and did not comply with the council's planning rules for the site.

Justin Rowles, from Winchester Lido Group, which has campaigned for years for the facility, said: "[People] haven't simply been asking for a swimming pool, they've been asking for a place.

He said that, in a community facing "challenges around physical inactivity, mental health and loneliness," a lido could "make a contribution to all of those."

The bid from Sea Lanes includes no upfront payment to the council.

The authority says its return comes from finally putting a vacant, costly site back into use.

The lease itself is conditional on Sea Lanes securing planning permission and confirming funding within agreed timeframes.

Sea Lanes' plans for the site include an outdoor pool, three outdoor padel courts, and a sauna.

There will also be a publicly accessible cafe/restaurant, and a free-to-use splash pad designed to be fully accessible for families.

The proposal also includes landscaping improvements to the surrounding park and riverside area.

The council's report says the plans build on the site's existing sporting and leisure use, which previously included a skate park and indoor bowling facility - both of which will remain in place and are unaffected by the redevelopment.

Campaign group Friends of River Park has raised concerns about the deal, including the site's flood risk.

The land sits in the highest risk category, with groundwater levels less than a metre below the surface.

The council says any scheme will need to pass a specific flood risk assessment, include a buffer strip along the river, and use sustainable drainage measures before planning permission can be granted.

The group has also questioned who would be left carrying the risk if the lido is not a commercial success.

Under the terms of the lease, that risk shifts to Sea Lanes.

The company becomes responsible for all future investment, maintenance and running costs, while the council keeps what it calls "landlord controls" to protect the surrounding land and ensure planning and environmental conditions are met.

There are also concerns about what a new lido could mean for the council's existing leisure centre.

An independent review found it could draw away casual swimmers from Winchester Sport & Leisure Park, particularly in summer and during school holidays.

The council says this would not trigger a financial claim under its current leisure contract for now, but could affect the terms it's able to negotiate when it comes up for retender in 2036.

Campaigners have also pointed to the length of the lease - 250 years - as handing over long-term control of public land. That figure is confirmed in the council's own report.

The council has set out an indicative timeline:

December 2026: Option agreement signed with Sea Lanes, giving the company up to 12 months to prepare and submit a planning application

December 2027: Agreement for lease, allowing time for planning permission to be secured and funding confirmed

Planning consent, funding confirmation and the final lease signing do not yet have set dates

If Sea Lanes fails to meet the agreed milestones, the council says it retains the option to demolish the site and remarket it, or explore a temporary use while a longer-term solution is found.