Community meeting to discuss Brockwell Lido’s future as users seek clarity over long-term management
A community group representing regular swimmers and users of Brockwell Lido is calling a public meeting later this month to discuss the future management of the historic pool and explore …
Black News 
A community group representing regular swimmers and users of Brockwell Lido is calling a public meeting later this month to discuss the future management of the historic pool and explore what options might exist if changes were needed.
Brockwell Lido Users has announced an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) at 6pm on 22 March at Station Hall above Herne Hill station on Railton Road.
The meeting is intended to bring together swimmers, gym members, café customers, families attending Whippersnappers sessions and other regular users of the site to discuss the long-term future of the popular facility.
The group says the aim is to give the broader community “some clarity on the future of the lido, what options are available, and to share their views about what they want.”
Brockwell Lido opened in 1937 and remains one of south London’s best-known outdoor pools. Brockwell Lido Users, which was founded in 2001, has campaigned for more than two decades to keep the facility open and accessible, describing it as “an amazing community asset and an important part of Lambeth’s heritage”.
The meeting comes at a time when the lido is operated under a long-term lease by leisure provider Fusion Lifestyle, which manages the facility on behalf of Lambeth Council. Fusion currently holds the contract to run the site until 2031.
The users’ group has previously raised concerns about aspects of the management of the lido and the wider financial pressures facing the leisure sector.
In a report published last year ahead of its AGM, the group highlighted growing dissatisfaction among some users with Fusion’s stewardship of the facility and called for greater transparency about the long-term future of the site.
While Fusion continues to operate the lido under its existing lease, the forthcoming meeting is expected to look more broadly at what arrangements might be possible in the future and how the community could be involved in shaping them.
Local MP Helen Hayes has told organisers she hopes to attend the meeting, and local councillors have also been invited, with several already confirming they will be there.
The discussion may also raise wider questions about contingency planning. With Brockwell Lido one of the borough’s most heavily used leisure facilities — particularly as the summer swimming season approaches — some users are asking what plans Lambeth Council has in place to ensure continuity of operations should the current management arrangements ever need to change.
For now, organisers say the meeting is intended as a chance for the community that uses the lido every day to come together and start that conversation about the long-term future of one of Lambeth’s most valued public spaces.
