A lido of our own
The People’s Pool will be a beautiful new lido for the Liverpool City Region, where the Merseyside community can swim under our big sky, 365 days a year.
Liverpool and Merseyside once led the world in open-air swimming, and a day out at the baths was a highlight of every summer. The People’s Pool will build on this history, celebrate our unique location, and bring us together for health and happiness long
into the future.
We plan to create an Olympic-sized pool, heated and open year-round. Alongside the main pool will be a learning/play pool, and lounging areas for sunbathing in summer and simmering in a hot tub in winter. There’ll be great food and drink, studios for yoga and other classes, and spaces for various uses, from physio to shopping and from private parties to community gatherings.
A busy, buzzy hub for health and happiness
365 days a year.
Why here? Why now?
The idea for The People’s Pool was inspired by our heritage. Just a few decades ago, Merseyside boasted 11 outdoor pools, which were hugely popular.
Although they were famously freezing, generations of children learned to swim in them, teenagers posed and flirted in them, and families made memories in them.
Then from the 1970s onwards, open-air pools went into decline. A combination of cheaper foreign holidays, a shift to building indoor leisure centres, and councils having less to invest in their upkeep meant they fell into disrepair and out of favour. Heartbreakingly, by 1990, every single one of our local pools was gone.
But now, things are changing. More and more people are taking up outdoor swimming, in rivers, lakes, sea - and pools. All over the country, lidos are reviving and thriving at the heart of their communities. And since 2020 we’ve all rediscovered the natural beauty of our region and the importance of outdoor exercise for our wellbeing.
Now is the perfect time to have a lido of our own again.
Dreaming Big
Although the idea came from our history, it’s really all about the future: celebrating our stunning location with beautiful, environmentally friendly design which we can all enjoy for decades to come.
The story so far
We’ve been testing out the idea with a huge range of people. Swimmers, sunseekers, fitness-chasers, gentle dippers, people with health conditions, parents, kids, community activists, teachers, health workers and more.
All these conversations have helped shape the idea, to make sure the People’s Pool lives up to its name and represents the needs, desires and very special character of our diverse community.
We’ve also researched dozens of fabulous pools, in the UK and further afield, whenever possible by swimming in them and chatting to users and managers. And now, thanks to the support of the Metro Mayor and Wirral Council, we’ve been able to dip our toe into developing the plans that will make the People’s Pool a reality.
