Decline and Future Development
It is said that the local council ran the lido into financial ruin in the 1970s by raising the admission fee beyond the level the market would stand. Additionally, the main Art Deco building was closed and became subject to vandalism. In June 1993 it was damaged beyond repair in an arson attack and was demolished in 1994. The building was replaced in 1996 by a restaurant named The Water's Edge, built in a similar style.
The lido remains a popular location for sunbathing and beach games, and although swimming is officially not allowed owing to pollution and lack of lifeguards, people do swim there. A splash pad water play area for children was built in 2009. Throughout the summer of 2011, the splash pad was closed after the electrics were damaged during construction of a new toilet block and unable to be repaired.
In January 2010 Hillingdon Council unveiled an enhancement project for the lido, including reinstating the outdoor swimming area and establishing special boating areas. During recent testing, the water proved to be at the acceptable standard for inland bathing set down by EC directive 76/160/EEC. It is proposed that the new swimming areas will be buoyed off.
The establishment of boating areas would require the water level to be raised, which the Environment Agency raised concerns over due to the potential for the flooding of nearby homes. The water level had been kept artificially low since 1992 when floods caused damaged to newly built houses close by. The engineering consultancy firm Halcrow Group presented a report to Hillingdon Council in April 2010 recommending a £250,000 flood mitigation scheme.
In January 2012 the plans received the necessary safety approvals from the Environment Agency in order to proceed.
Read more about this topic: Ruislip Lido
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