Can investing in outdoor swimming improve health and create better places? Mark Baigent explains why Redbridge Council believes leisure-led regeneration will improve wellbeing in its urban communities.
This focuses on London’s first new lido in decades, commissioned by Redbridge Council, and why ‘blue spaces’ can bring social, health and wellbeing benefits to urban communities.
A century after the Valentines Park Lido opened in Ilford, Redbridge Council has approved plans to build a new lido near the original site. One major difference is the new lido will be heated!
The decision to build a new lido was taken in the context of the growing popularity of outdoor swimming and the need for a varied leisure offer for local people, according to Mark Baigent, Corporate Director of Regeneration and Culture. The outdoor pool and fitness centre, with a cafe, gym and yoga studio, also responds to the borough’s ambition to support healthier living for its communities.
The value of ‘blue spaces’
In recent years we’ve seen a revival of interest in the value of ‘blue spaces’ – natural or artificial external bodies of water. They are not only integral parts of green infrastructure supporting climate resilience. They also bring therapeutic benefits – not least as spaces for outdoor swimming – and are essential social hubs where people can meet and relax.
Many people find that spending time in or near water is vitally important for their health and wellbeing. For example, in a survey by GLL (the largest UK-based charitable social enterprise providing leisure, health and community services), 89% of respondents said swimming pools and other blue spaces had highly positive impacts on their life, with 55% saying it improves their mood.
Health and wellbeing needs
The London Plan (2021) (section 5.5.2) recognises that sport and recreation facilities such as swimming pools are essential social infrastructure. Demand currently exceeds supply, and is expected to increase in coming decades if we don’t build any new facilities.
This was the case in Redbridge. Like many London boroughs, it also faces significant public health challenges. The council’s Annual Public Health Report 2023/24 shows that more people live with a mental health condition in the borough than with diabetes and cancer combined.
The report highlights that obesity – linked with conditions including diabetes and cardiovascular disease – is prevalent in Redbridge, where 1 in 3 children aged 10–11 years are obese. Obesity is strongly associated with deprivation: a quarter of adults and a third of children in Redbridge live in poverty. Affordable, centrally located leisure facilities are therefore essential in helping to support more physical activity and healthier lifestyles.
The early 20th century witnessed a boom across the UK in building open-air public swimming pools, known as lidos (lido is the Italian word for ‘beach’ or ‘shore’). Often part of major public works programmes after World War I, these were emblems of civic pride. They were built in the latest modern styles, reflecting an optimistic view of a healthier, cleaner world.
Most importantly, as Mark Baigent notes, lidos were open to all, providing vital facilities for “families and ordinary working people on low incomes to enjoy a good day out”.
The original Valentines Park Lido was part of this interwar movement. Situated in the 52 hectare (130 acre) historic Valentines Park in Ilford, it was opened in 1924. Created from a former gravel pit, it was also part of a programme to provide building work for local people after World War I.
The lido remained in operation until 1995, when it was demolished owing to security concerns. By that time the focus had also shifted to the provision of indoor leisure facilities. Many lidos had fallen out of fashion and often into disrepair. By the year 2000, only 130 public outdoor pools remained in the UK, from a peak of more than 300 in the 1930s.
The lido revival in London
In the 21st century outdoor and wild swimming has seen a resurgence owing to its apparent health and wellbeing benefits. There’s also been renewed interest in the architectural heritage of lidos, and their value as cultural and community assets.
A century on from the original lido’s opening, Redbridge’s plan for London’s first brand new lido in decades received planning permission in June 2024. Near to the location of the 1924 facility in Valentines Park, it represents a reinvention of the lido for the 2020s and beyond. It’s scheduled to open in 2025.
The centrepiece will be an outdoor 25-metre swimming pool, surrounded by a café, splash pad, dance and yoga studio, gym and picnic area. These facilities will be also open to park users and aim to provide a diverse offer responding to different community and user needs.
The level of engagement by local people in the planning process exceeded expectation. The borough got more than three times the usual number of responses to its online consultation. More than 70% of respondents said that they would definitely use the facilities. Exhibitions in the Redbridge Central Library also generated a high level of interest in the scheme.
There have been some challenges to overcome, not least the potential expense of running a heated outdoor pool (historic lidos were rarely heated) and the need for secure facilities. The aim is to achieve a BREEAM Excellent sustainability rating, with installation of solar PV, green roofs and air source heat pumps.
The council has emphasised a clear message that it is investing money in the facility not only to respond to community need but also to generate income.
Why investing in leisure matters
The new lido is not a standalone initiative but part of a current borough-wide £11 million redevelopment of leisure facilities, including Wanstead Leisure Centre.
Affordable and centrally located leisure centres with a varied offer have become ever more in demand during a cost-of-living crisis.
“People have reevaluated what a family day out is about”, says Mark Baigent. “Those who may be struggling financially can’t afford to go abroad but instead can have a great day out in the centre of Ilford.”
Using a focus on leisure as a means to wider regeneration also enjoys support from local politicians. It also represents more embedded thinking about the interconnected nature of public health and planning, and the need to create places that support increased physical activity, reduced obesity levels, healthier living and where people can socialise.