Building the team to help shape the future of Lymington Sea Water Baths

An important new stage in planning for the future of Lymington Sea Water Baths is underway.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council has issued a series of tender specifications seeking the specialist teams who will help us investigate this remarkable historic site and develop ideas for its long-term future.

The work forms part of our project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund and will bring together expertise in architecture, engineering, heritage, community engagement, business planning and project management.

Why do we need so many different specialists?

Lymington Sea Water Baths is not an ordinary building or swimming pool.

The Grade II listed site has developed over almost two centuries and sits in a demanding tidal and marine environment. Before major decisions are made, we need to understand its structures, the ground beneath them, its historic significance, how people use and value the site and what different options might cost.

The team we are seeking will therefore look at the Baths from several different perspectives.

Architecture, engineering and costs

Architects and engineers will investigate the condition of the site and develop the project through to RIBA Stage 2, or concept design.

The work is expected to include structural investigations, concrete testing, ground investigations and assessments of water management, drainage, electrical systems, accessibility and environmental resilience.

Understanding our heritage

A specialist heritage consultant will investigate the history and significance of the Baths, from their eighteenth-century origins through the major changes of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

This will help us understand which features, stories and characteristics are particularly important and how they should influence future proposals.

Listening to the community

Community engagement will be a central part of the project.

We want local people, users, community organisations and other stakeholders to have meaningful opportunities to tell us what they value about the Baths, what could be improved and what they would like the site to offer in the future.

Planning for the long term

The project will also examine the long-term sustainability of the Baths.

This will include learning from other historic lidos and leisure sites, considering different operating models and developing a much clearer understanding of future income, costs and maintenance requirements.

No final design has been decided

It is important to emphasise that we are not starting this process with a finished restoration scheme.

The purpose of the work is to gather evidence first. Technical investigations, heritage research, community feedback and business planning will then help shape the options and emerging designs.

By the end of this development stage, we expect to have a much clearer understanding of what is possible, what it could cost and what the next steps should be.

We will share progress throughout the project on this website.

This project has been made possible with a £154,800 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players.