The situation surrounding the Peckham Lido is bizarre. Six years ago it was backed by the Mayor of London, the council and hundreds of locals to the tune of £60,000. Now it appears to have ground to a quiet, unceremonial halt.
Southwark Council’s refusal to comment on it is equally mind-boggling. They say that the project has nothing to do with them and have tried to deflect the problem back onto the CIC. This is a strange claim, given that it donated £10,000 to the project. Then there is the CIC, the community-focused entity which has led crowd-funding campaigns. They too ignored all our requests for comment.
When people are freezing in their own homes and using food banks, an outdoor swimming pool might not seem like a priority. But that’s a one-dimensional attitude to public health. The pandemic proved that outdoor leisure, fitness and community spirit are indivisible from physical well-being.
The only thing stopping this project progressing right now appears to be Southwark Council. Nobody is asking for them to put in more money, just for them to write a letter.
Neil Coyle releases Cost of Living Support Booklet – a comprehensive guide to the help on offer