Fakenham Lido

Fakenham Lido

Fakenham LIDO

We believe Fakenham should have a swimming pool. Furthermore we think this is achievable in the near future if we all work together. Active Fakenham is proposing the suggestions in this website as a starting point. We hope that you will join with us by signing the petition.

 
Sign the petition HERE
✿  ☀  ♫

Our aim 

We are aiming for a Fakenham LIDO. An outside heated swimming pool open through the summer months (and potentially in the winter for cold water swimming?), it could be accompanied by a café selling healthy foods and a surrounding leisure area with some other amenities such as outside gym equipment, all year table tennis and volleyball. This will be as ecologically sustainable as possible by using the latest technology such as solar panels etc., and we believe we can make it self-funding after an initial period.

Why Fakenham deserves a swimming pool?

 Fakenham is a market town which serves a travel to work population of nearly 40,000 people. It had two swimming pools in the schools which were both closed in recent years. Swimming pools have strong health reasons as well as safety benefits. A Lido is particularly suitable in the current situation where it has been shown that swimming pools, especially outside pools, are low risk in terms of spreading coronavirus.

Go to the Active Fakenham Facebook page or email your reasons why we should have a pool!

How it can be funded

There will need to be a concerted collective effort to raise the building costs (Capital). Some of our ideas include:

• The land at Trap Lane belongs to Fakenham Town Council which could make some of this land available but there may be other options.
• There are a range of funds available (I will not list them here) which would help fund the capital costs of a swimming pool if there is a clear financial and social case made.
• We believe there are examples of Lidos where revenue expenditure can break even, or they can make a small profit. However, this is not a profitmaking exercise.
• We may need to start a fundraising campaign support group.


Community Renewal Fund – Fakenham  LIDO – Feasibility study
See the details of the proposed feasibility study proposal HERE

Who would use it?

We believe that a Lido would benefit many people and groups in Fakenham and the surrounding villages. Some examples include, general swimming, swimming sessions, fitness lengths, tourists and visitors, schools, clubs, Swim training/teaching, Fakenham canoe club, Active Fakenham would support events e.g. Triathlon.

Economic benefits
At a time when the nature and role of the town centre is changing, this new initiative would attract more people to Fakenham. It would also generate new jobs and training opportunities, particularly for young people. A Lido would also attract people away from the overcrowded, and sometimes under pressure, coastal tourist centres.

Consideration would need to be given to the off season opportunities that a Lido could potentially provide. We are currently looking at an all year round facility available for multi uses.

Drawbacks?

• It may be that having an outdoor Lido would weaken the case for Fakenham having an indoor swimming pool. This is possible but I have been campaigning for 15 years for a pool and other family members have campaigned for over 25 years. So far two pools have closed, and none have opened.  An indoor pool has been rejected by the Councils as too expensive to build and too expensive to run – a Fakenham Lido is a creative solution.

• A lido would only be open in summer. 

About the Active Fakenham Lido campaign.

At the moment we have no staff or even a formal campaign group so we are limited in what we can do. However, we will try to update our progress via this website, our newsletter (at the bottom of the page) and social media. Responses to individual points will be noted but we may not be able to get back to everyone.

Next steps.

Active Fakenham has established a team that can take this forward if the Local Authorities work with us. This is why we have directed our petition at Norfolk County Council, North Norfolk District Council and Fakenham Town Council.


Message us or email us if you would like to be part of the campaign

Our team which is putting together the initial case includes (many others are also helping out!)

Richard Crook
Chair, Active Fakenham and Owner/Director Crook De Lyon Ltd

John Cunningham
Senior Manager, Larking Gowen Accountants

Hannah Wooller
Managing Director, Hudson Architects 

Martyn Benstead
Partner, Stephenson Smart Accountants

Kristi Fletcher
Social Monkey

Melanie Harriss
Previously Social Monkey, now Marketing Manager at Stephenson Smart

Lynne Custance
Owner Custance Design Ltd

Steve Hall
Owner, Wensum.net

Dr Alex De Lyon, PhD
Health and Fitness Consultant

Issues which we hope to address if we get enough support.

 We would look in detail at the feasibility and produce an outline business plan.

• Governance and Management Structure
We would recommend a relevant Governance & Management Structure; identify the Stakeholders. Our proposed site is adjacent to the Fakenham Sports and Fitness Centre and the Fakenham Academy. It could be related to these organisations or managed through a separate (but related) management committee or company.

• Community Liaison and Public Consultation
We will communicate with local organisations and residents to assess and develop potential interest across all ages and abilities.

• Market research
We would assess the marketplace and the potential utilisation of the new facilities and identification of market opportunities.

• Design Plan
We will produce an outline design plan

• Cost Plan
We would work with a quantity surveyor to provide cost.

• Cost Benefit Analysis
We would undertake an initial economic feasibility study of cost benefit analysis, to enable the Council to consider different scenarios and options

• Identify the Funding Strategy
We would look at grant opportunities from local and national bodies.

• Income & Expenditure
We could provide a 3 or 5 year forecast, detailing a cost plan for projected income and expenditure; the aim is to be at a cost neutral position ASAP.

• Provide a Financial Risk Analysis 

• Marketing
Consider and prepare options for a marketing campaign.


Q&A's


1.     What about the Study that was undertaken in 2015 that r esulted in the new Sheringham pool?

In 2015 a study was commissioned by North Norfolk District Council. This was called North Norfolk District Indoor Leisure Facilities Strategy and looked at facilities across the District.


The Strategy Report on Indoor Leisure Facilities, commissioned by NNDC August 2015 clearly identifies the Fakenham area as being the largest and most concentrated area (in North Norfolk) of unmet demand for swimming provision


We have

  1.  Summarised some of the findings in a few paragraphs. HERE
  2. Attached the full report and the executive summary of the report

 

2.     Where will it be sited?

This will need to be part of the overall feasibility study which will include looking at all the options and consulting with stakeholders. Our current preference is on the Trap Lane site next to the Sports Centre. This is for a number of reasons; the land is owned by the Fakenham Town Council already; it is near the school and there may be some synergy by having it close to the Fakenham Sports and Fitness Centre.

 

3.     What is a LIDO?

A lido is more than an outdoor swimming pool, it is a public outdoor swimming pool with surrounding facilities, or part of a beach where people can swim, lie in the sun, or participate in water sports. A lido is an outdoor swimming pool near a beach or even in a city where people can swim and relax. Facilities vary but lidos generally offer basic changing rooms and showers.

 

The name comes from the Italian word lido, which means "shore" or "bank." (The Italian root derives from litus, the Latin word for "shore.") By the mid-19th century, Lido's reputation as a chic vacation destination for the well-to-do made it the envy of seaside resorts everywhere.


 4           Have the Fakenham schools been consulted?

The three main schools in Fakenham were asked about the plan and they are very supportive of the Fakenham LIDO. They recognise the importance of swimming being available for children. We will be working with the schools and pupils as we go forward.


5           Have you considered environmental issues

The environment and related issues are extremely important to us and will be considered at every stage. We are working with a climate scientist, architects and others to try to see if we can make the pool carbon neutral. We will look at minimising plastic uses and other environment issues as we progress

 

6.          LIDO Funding bid update and new information- maybe 50 new jobs


Community Renewal Fund bid 15 May 2021  (see the brief produced 10 May 2021 HERE )

The above proposal has been sent to the North Norfolk District Council (NNDC) for inclusion as part of a  Fakenham bid to the UK Community Renewal Fund. NNDC have sent it to Norfolk County Council which will decide which bids go forward to the UK Community renewal Fund. If the Fakenham LIDO proposal is successful at this stage it will be sent back to NNDC for further development and then sent to the UK Renewal Fund.

 

 

Share by: