Strong response to Sea Water Baths project tenders

The project to plan for the future of Lymington Sea Water Baths has reached another important milestone, following an excellent response to the Council’s recent tender process.

Lymington and Pennington Town Council invited specialist teams to tender for four areas of work: heritage research, project and business planning, public consultation and engagement, and architectural, engineering and cost consultancy services.

The submissions are now been assessed against the requirements set out in the tender documents. We were very pleased with the overall quality of the response, with a number of excellent submissions demonstrating strong experience, thoughtful approaches and a clear understanding of this important historic site.

The assessment is an important part of the process, but it does not mean that appointments have yet been made. The outcome will now go through the Council’s formal review and approval process, alongside the requirements of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, before any appointments are confirmed.

Once appointed, the specialist team will help us build a much fuller picture of the Baths and what is needed for their long-term future. This will include further research into the history and significance of the site, technical investigations into its buildings and structures, consideration of how the Baths could operate sustainably in the future, learning from other historic pools, and extensive consultation with the community.

Importantly, no decisions have yet been made about what the future scheme for the Baths will look like. The next stage is about gathering the evidence, expertise and community views needed to develop the right proposals for this unique Grade II listed site.

We are delighted with the quality of expertise and interest shown through the tender process and look forward to sharing further news once the formal approval process has been completed.

There will also be opportunities for residents, visitors, users of the Baths and local organisations to get involved as the project develops.