Posted: 3/2/2003; 1:09:10 AM 
London Fields Lido is now open. The new extended opening times are available from the Hackney council website.
Read an account of the opening day's swim on 22nd October 2006 by Andy Hoines, co-editor of the www.lidos.org.uk website here, and his update here.
 
Following our write up of the test swim, Mark Sesnan, chief exec of GLL (Greenwich Leisure Ltd) who will run London Fields Lido, writes
I am happy to be able to inform you that the Lido will be open to the public from tomorrow morning. For further information, the pool will operate at 25 degrees celcius (not 22) and will not close during rain (except when visibility is unacceptable or lightning is forecast).
You may wish to include the link to the Lido timetable and prices from the www.gll.org web site as the times will vary dependant on daylight etc. ...more ---> ...| London Fields Lido | 25 October 2006; 4:52:42 PM |# | | Discuss |
London Fields Lido opened for "test swimming" on Sunday 22nd October having been closed since 1988. The lido is due to open to the public at the end of October. Andy Hoines, who co-edits the London section of www.lidos.org.uk, here records his experience.
This morning, my wife and I joined in the preview swim arranged for local organisations and swimming clubs. Despite it being a grey and drizzly autumn morning, by 10am there was an enthusiastic throng awaiting entry, including one in slightly inappropriate Hawaiian shorts and T-shirt! Others sported impressive swimming caps indicating that they were refugees from Tooting Bec, or were having a day off from swimming the channel!
With some nifty footwork, at 10:01, I managed to be the first to dive in! Unfortunately, despite the deep end being 1.8m and sloping to 2.0m, this is not allowed and I also became the first to be told off by the lifeguards!
...more ---> ...| London Fields Lido | 24 October 2006; 3:46:43 PM |# | | Discuss |
Hackney Council announced today that it plans to re-open London Fields Lido in time for summer 2006. They say they have set aside £2 million to fund the project as well as running costs of £200,000 a year. The council have already carried out a feasibility study and now intend to run public consultation and tendering process over the winter before commissioning the work to rebuild the lido as an outdoor facility.
 The London Fields User Group have been working with the Environment Trust and Market Sports for 4 years on an alternative plan that would have been self-funding. Mike Martin, chair of the group said today "The Environment Trust went to a lot of expense producing an excellent plan which has now been thrown away. However we have been fighting for the lido to open for 15 years and are delighted if this is now going to happen".
London Fields Lido closed in 1988 and local people stopped the buildings being demolished soon after - and have campaigned for its re-opening ever since. The site has been occupied for many years by squatters who at one time held music festivals and ran a cafe at the lido.
More information... ...more ---> ...| London Fields Lido | 27 October 2004; 12:14:22 PM |# | | Discuss |
The London Fields User group have spent 3 years developing a proposal to re-open the lido, working with the Environment Trust and Market Sports. This would cost Hackney nothing, but the partnership cannot progress without the lease of the site - which the council say they cannot discuss until their parks strategy is published in October.
Meantime Hackney Council have announced they are spending £25,000 on a report on London Fields Lido*, without consultation with the user group. Mike Martin, chair of the London Fields User Group says "We have, with our partners just been through a 4 months long struggle to try and convince the Council to allow the redevelopment of the London Fields Lido. We required permission and a lease before the end of March to obtain funding from Sport England before their cut off date. This process has run out and we can do nothing further until the Council has been through yet another expensive internal review and reappraisal of strategic plans for future parks development. This is the fourth Strategy for Parks and Open Spaces in 10 years". ...more ---> ... | London Fields Lido | 6 September 2004; 3:50:04 PM |# | | Discuss |
Last of the 50m, Olympic size POOLS in EAST LONDONSee the plans for its new development and hear the proposals for many new features. Come along to our open evening at the LONDON FIELDS JUNIOR SCHOOL on TUESDAY evening, the 7th of October from 7 to 8.30 - Speak to the Architect and others
- Ask questions and give your views on the plans
- Sign up to support the campaign
more..... ...more ---> ...| London Fields Lido | 28 September 2003; 8:01:26 PM |# | | Discuss |
Congratulations to the London Fields Campaign for an excellent event in London Fields advertising the plans for re-opening the Lido. Squatters allowed some access to the lido, so groups of public were able to walk round the buddleia-filled lido and marvel at its incredible size click for more information ...more ---> ...| London Fields Lido | 28 July 2003; 10:27:27 AM |# | | Discuss |
London Fields User Group
Chair: Mike Martin e-mail: londonfieldchair@onetel.com
"While we are all regret hearing of the delay, in comparison with the 18 years that it has been closed and the long struggle of the park user group, the extra couple of months is no big deal. We hope that the council will be able to meet these promises".
Mike Martin - July 2006
I enclose the latest report from the council found on their web site: <http://www.hackney.gov.uk/index.htm/events-2/c-londonfields-lido.htm>;
London Fields Lido Re-opening
London Fields Lido - Hackney's Urban Beach
Building work started in October 2005 on an ambitious project to resurrect the London Fields Lido for Hackney and we are pleased to report that it will be completed within its projected budget and opening soon.
Due to the discovery of large quantities of asbestos on the site and the very poor state of some of the old buildings that we have refurbished, there will be a delay to the projected late-July opening date. The London Fields Lido will however be open for swimming from the beginning of October when we will look forward to welcoming residents to the Capitals only heated outdoor Olympic-sized pool.
The original programme was always a tight schedule and while the builders have overcome the issues on site and are working additional shifts to complete the work, our top priority has always been to do justice to this wonderful facility by getting it open and keeping it open; getting things right first time.
Taking full advantage of the heated pool and changing facilities, we will keep the Lido open as long throughout the autumn and winter months as there is user demand. The Lido will then be ready to receive what we anticipate will be huge numbers of summer swimmers to Hackney's Urban Beach.
Ultimately, there will also be a seasonal roof that will increase access to more swimmers during the winter. In October we plan to unveil the short-listed proposals for the roof solution and we will be ready to install the chosen design in autumn 2007.
In October we will offer a special winter price discount, but we anticipate the attraction of al fresco swimming in warm water in the heart of London will keep the Lido a popular destination.
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There is new activity in Hackney on the London Fields Lido and 
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