A PROJECT to decide the future of the Grange-over-Sands lido has been restarted with a £50,000 cash boost from the Government.

South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) will use the money, from the Coastal Revival Fund, to develop a business case for restoring the derelict site.

The process to find a suitable use for the lido will involve going back out to consultation with the community, and talking to Grange Town Council, Cumbria Tourism, Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership and Historic England.

The council will also hold a series of small scale events to try and regenerate interest Grade II listed site.

The lido, which is located on Grange’s Edwardian promenade, enjoyed its heyday in the 1930s but was closed in 1993.

A consultation was last held in 2013 where residents voted to have the structure reopened as an outdoor swimming pool.

Councillor Jonathan Brook, South Lakeland District Council’s portfolio holder for Innovation and Improvement, said: “The money from the Coastal Revival Fund is great news and will enable us to move forward on the project to restore the Lido site into a sustainable and economically viable community asset.

“We will use this money to develop a sustainable business case and vision for the site’s future.’’

Ron Shapland, Grange Town Council Chairman, said: “Let’s hope something can now be done.

“There have been all sorts of suggestions for the lido over the last 23 years but none of them have really been thought viable.

“We have to be realistic that it’s got to pay its way in the future and certain things, like the restoration of the old swimming pool, just won’t pay their way these days.

“I think a low maintenance scheme, such as tidying it up, making it presentable and opening it up to let people have a wander round is maybe the best we can hope for at the moment."

Susannah Bleakley, Chief Executive of Morecambe Bay Partnership, said the lido would need ‘phenomenal investment’ to reach its potential.

“My vision of it is like Somerset House in London, where you have screenings, ice-skating and it’s a really fashionable place to go,” she said.

“People in Grange have been disappointed before and there is tremendous nervousness around investment in something that might not work.

“You would need a lot of investment but if the offer is right, there’s no reason Grange can’t attract high end visitors – we’ve seen it elsewhere in Morecambe Bay, with the Midland Hotel in Morecambe and L’Enclume in Cartmel."