Group to meet City Hall on plans for outdoor swimming pool in Cork city

PLANS to build a Lido in Cork are gathering pace, with consultations at City Council set to take place.

A meeting is to be held in two weeks between City Hall and the seven-person committee spearheading the campaign to bring a lido, an outdoor swimming pool, to Cork city.

Speaking to The Echo, Niall Kenny, who is a member of the Lido committee in discussions with City Hall about the project, said an €8m to €10m 50-metre lido in a sensible city centre location could bring a great amount of activity to the city and could be built in two to five years.

“I think Cork deserves a good, solid, well-built, long-term lido. 

"We have been campaigning since November,” Niall said.

Mr Kenny acknowledged the huge appetite that exists for an outdoor swimming pool in Cork city and said ideally Cork could have four lidos in time.

“We set up a Facebook page in February and we had 1,000 followers in nine days,” Niall said, “I think the Inniscarra Reservoir has an ideal location. 

"There is already a sailing club there. 

"You could have a pontoon lido there. There is plenty of space for it. The council and ESB would run that.

“I think step by step, get one in the city and prove the concept, we could get one in Fitzergald Park and Lee Fields. I think there is enough population here in the city and county to justify them.” 

At the moment Niall said the committee and City Hall had narrowed the site selection to five locations, including the Marina and Kennedy Quay.

“We have a meeting in two weeks to discuss the location,” Niall said.

In a statement to The Echo, the council said: “Cork City Council will work with the group to explore the opportunity to develop a Lido in the city”. 

To follow the campaign to bring a lido to Cork follow the Facebook or Twitter page: Lido Cork and the conversation on #LidoCork.