Community campaign works to secure Teignmouth Lido for local ownership
A determined community campaign has shifted the future of Teignmouth Lido from potential closure and sale towards possible local ownership. The outdoor heated pool on Eastcliff Walk has long served residents and visitors as a distinctive seafront facility, and campaigners are working to keep it that way.
Teignbridge District Council had identified the lido as surplus to requirements and proposed not opening it in order to save around £74,000 a year. The site was also earmarked for disposal on the open market. That decision prompted a strong local response. A petition gathered more than 2,500 signatures and the Teignmouth Community Lido Trust formed with the clear aim of taking on the running of the pool.
The trust, involving local residents including former lifeguard Catherine Brown and Daniel O’Connell, argued that the lido is an invaluable community asset. It provides a safe, accessible place for people of all ages to swim, from young families to older residents and those with disabilities.
Campaigners pointed to the recent investment of around £800,000 in renovations and the growing popularity of outdoor swimming as reasons to retain the facility.
Following public pressure and a formal call-in of the original decision, the council reversed course. It agreed to operate the lido while working with community groups on a longer-term solution.
The site’s listing as an Asset of Community Value gives local organisations a formal window to prepare a bid before any open-market sale can proceed.The trust is developing a business plan that looks beyond the traditional short season. Ideas include extended opening hours, additional community events and volunteer support alongside paid staff. Similar transfers of outdoor pools to community management have succeeded elsewhere, and supporters believe Teignmouth can achieve the same outcome.
The lido itself is a 25-metre heated pool set directly behind the promenade, with views across the water. It has been part of the town’s landscape since the 1970s and remains one of the few outdoor pools of its type still operating on the South Devon coast. For many locals it is a shared space that supports health, social contact and the town’s identity as a seaside place.
The campaign continues to focus on practical steps: fundraising, building organisational capacity and demonstrating that a community-led model can keep the pool open and viable. The outcome will determine whether Teignmouth retains a publicly accessible outdoor swimming space.