Ramsgate not-for-profit organisation Heritage Lab has revealed it is in early discussions to create an outdoor swimming pool at the East Cliff.
The site is currently the Marina car park 3 which is on the footprint of the former open air swimming pool.
A report to councillors says car park 3, could have redevelopment potential which could generate greater economic and social benefits for TDC.
There have been a number of proposals considered by TDC over the recent years. One of these was an idea to develop ‘Marina Waterside Chalets’, which included the construction of a cafe, watersports concessions, public toilets and beach chalets and verandas.
Another suggestion was a ‘Ramsgate Beach Club Resort’ which envisioned redevelopment of the car park to include sports, leisure and amenity space.
Thanet council is now expected to undertake a marketing exercise to receive proposals from a variety of parties and potential uses. Once the marketing is complete, the results will be brought back to the Cabinet for consideration on a way forward.
Heritage Lab, which owns the Old Wine Warehouse in town and has a 20 year lease to renovate and refurbish eight Art Deco shelters on Ramsgate’s East Cliff lower promenade, is now asking people what they think of replacing the car park with a pool complex.
In a reel on social media, the CIC says: “We’re in early discussions with an experienced developer who’s interested in creating an outdoor swimming pool complex on Ramsgate’s East Cliff.
“This site is currently a car park, one of several council-owned sites Thanet Council is considering selling. But it wasn’t always this way.
“This was once the Marina Bathing Pool. Built in the mid-1930s, it featured an Olympic-sized pool, a diving area and filtered sea water. It closed in 1975 after structural issues and was later filled in and paved over.
“Fast forward to today: Thanet has a thriving sea and open-water swimming culture, with people of all ages swimming year-round for wellbeing and connection. Outdoor swimming isn’t niche anymore – it’s a movement.
“Pair it with saunas, cafés or social spaces and you create something truly special: a year-round destination for locals and visitors alike.
“Could this place return to its original purpose?”
Heritage Lab is asking people to comment on the reel and contact Thanet councillors to let them know they back the plan.
A Heritage Lab spokesperson added: “Thanet has a thriving sea and open-water swimming culture, with people of all ages swimming year-round for wellbeing and connection. Outdoor swimming isn’t niche anymore – it’s a movement. Pair it with saunas, cafés or social spaces and you create something truly special: a year-round destination for locals and visitors alike.
“To help people visualise what might be possible, we’ve shared a short clip exploring how the site could be reimagined. The level of public interest over the past 24 hours has been extremely encouraging. It’s clear that people care deeply about what happens to this site, which is hugely positive for Ramsgate. As one resident commented, this “could be a game changer” for the town — and that sense of possibility is exciting.”
Heritage Lab Ramsgate says it hopes Thanet District Council continues to designate the site for mixed leisure use, reflecting its prominent seafront location and its importance to Ramsgate’s visitor economy. The organisation recognises that any proposal of this scale should be approached responsibly.
The spokesperson added: “If a scheme were to progress, it would need to be developed in close consultation with local residents, with careful attention paid to addressing concerns and ensuring the benefits are widely shared.”
Heritage Lab Ramsgate intends to apply for Asset of Community Value status to ensure the community has time and a formal voice in discussions about the site’s future, with the aim of supporting a constructive, balanced conversation about what will work best for Ramsgate in the long term.
That would be amazing if it ever happens…
Better than a car park. Good idea.
Just as I suggested a week or two on here (and several people pooh-poohed it). Listen to me folks, I’ll regenerate the area!
Being such a twat must be exhausting, have a day off peter
Get back underground, herbert.
Alas im a retired Urban explorer. no more underground for me
I recommend the tunnels tour, though you probably did that 30 years ago (I showed my Mrs your old blog by the way, she loves it!).
👏🏻👏🏻😂🎊
Wevsky – ignorance manifests its self in many ways!
Ii helped out when the tunnels were in the early stages of being reopened, photographed the tunnel floor to send off to the relevant people etc, and knew the manager when it opened up so could pop in, im amazed people read the blog, but i appreciate people do pop in
Of course, we’ll need the lift repaired.
It will attract huge enthusiasm, why not. Nobody wants a car park over a lido. Then there will be project funding, crowd funding and often failure at launch or near launch as there’s no sustainable long term business plan. Rarely do lidos succeed without local authority funding. TDC floats everything off to any successful bidder or fundraiser and then it falls flat n fails, often after significant community funding. We see far too much of this in Thanet. I wish the project well, who wouldn’t, but I have no confidence it won’t end up like the Arts Barge etc and so forth. Similarly the lift, expensive, not fully accessible, but popular. These heritage assets require subsidy. And there’s no money, it’s all been slashed. Heritage and leisure assets are not considered priority in the ever increasing budget constrictions. Sadly.
My thoughts exactly… anything involving TDC and ‘Not-for-profit’ organisations means the taxpayer will end up footing the bills.
I’d be interested is seeing the profit and loss and balance sheets of Heritage Labs, particularly the management salaries.
If it is a genuine proposition then someone can come in and invest their own money without the need for any subsidies and TDC can take the rent.
Seriously, it’s bloody 8.50 to swim at the only available pool, it’s a rinse and membership is 60 month. Id pay that to swim at this kind of complex, should have never been changed in the first place. Id suggest a retractable roof over it so can be used all season, you know like Wembley. That way it will be viable if a part becomes a gym too this will actually work and make it through the next 30 years.
Wembleys roof doesn’t retract. It was broken before it even opened. Its one of the biggest white elephants the FA/Brent council have ever spent out on.
Great idea. Although not sure where the current road is meant to go with the design ?
Nor indeed the current car parking. Removing what’s there and replacing it with a facility that will need car parking of its own nearby… not up on the upper Esplanade itself is going to be a problem.
Where did people park when it was there before? Or were they less lazy then?
On the right hand side of Marina road, as you go up the hill.
What, enough to fill a car park?
Or did people actually stroll from car parks half a mile away or from bus stops and train stations rather than expecting to park right next to everything like today’s fat people in their fat cars?
“rather than expecting to park right next to everything like today’s fat people in their fat cars?”
Once again you espouse bigotry, and body shame folk (ironic given the body positive nature of your naked in thanet blog, where you hosted many a chunky naked lady, but I guess fat people are cool when you can leer on them eh pete?) and once again you propose a solution that doesn’t factor in the many, many disabled folk in the Thanet area.
Why would the “many, many disabled folk” incapable of even getting in and out of a lift want to go to a swimming pool?
“Why would the “many, many disabled folk” incapable of even getting in and out of a lift want to go to a swimming pool”
Your comment in reply to someone else….
Yes. In response to my opinion on car parks.
And?
Disabled people, who may want to get out the house, my wife for example, granted shes not swimming but people , even those with mobility issues, are allowed to have a life outside the house, do you read back what you type out, and how it is going to come across? seriously peter, get a grip and just stop !!
What are you on about? I’ve long campaigned for the lifts to be open to help the disabled and elderly (unlike the many locals on here who believe it is a waste of money, and that they should get buses down to the harbour). I also campaign to have coastal public toilets open all year round, just as they were when we walked from Herne Bay to Whitstable today (and unlike at Stone, Joss and Botany bays).
What I AM against is trying to cram a car park next to a rebuilt pool, as it would not be practical… unless you can come up with somewhere?
Judging on past and current performance, TDC lack Vision, Motivation, Committment and Funds.
They do however excel at selling off and leasing our local heritage to land-bankers, foreign investors and Polluters. I used to be able to look down from the esplanade onto the beach. Now all I can see are the rooftops of over-priced holiday lets and un-occupied retail outlets. The proposed hotel will steal another swathe of our view as we walk towards the Lift that TDC have abandoned. If I seem cynical is it any surprise? What happenned to the Motor-House museum on the Westcliff? Once a famous music venue. Now, thanks to TDC offering it to a property developer with no binding instruction to restore it…it crumbles through neglect. Doubtless when it’s reduced to a pile of rubble planning permission will be given for a block of featureless, overpriced flats.
I would LOVE to see the return of the Lido. Parking would be a serious issue. But…..I’m not holding my breath.
“Judging on past and current performance, TDC lack Vision, Motivation, Committment and Funds.”
You forgot ineptitude, financial illiterancy and wasteful profligate spending on arts and anything DEI.
TDC councillors are mindless bottom-feeders without a clue.
Ha! Hard not to agree with you Alex but…..we do actually have a clutch of decent councillors in the Green Party. Unfortunately they are in the minority.
Espousing far right rhetoric, whilst projecting who you are onto councillors you don’t know is the most funny, transparent crud I’ve read in these comments in a long while.
It will never work. If it does, why did the council close it down, instead of doing the repairs. Better to have an indoor pool at Warren rec. Oh, no, that closed as well….
You won’t have to worry your pretty little head about parking then.
You mean the ramsgate pool that was not commercially viable in that location, which is now based down by the back of ASDA service entrance? https://yourleisure.uk.com/ramsgate-leisure-centre-thanet/
Great idea, would be good to see it become a reality, doubt it will, TDC won’t like it the only reservation I have is how do you prevent the idiot youth and wasters vandalising it?
Don’t forget Public toilets open year round or the pool may be used instead.
I say we need more swimming pools anyway in thanet I think this will be amazing but please keep up with the cleanses to it keep it clean and nice and I hope it be free to go in I think thousands of people will visit and would love it so yes please do this please turn it to a lovely swimming pool I think all people from thanet like my self will say yes and will be excited when it go and opens up
Absolutely fantastic idea and a great experience for locals and visitors is there sill hope for Ramsgate im sure tge council would rather sell the plot for flats we need to support anything thats will brng good visitors to RG unlike our Poor town who a disaster embarrassing.
i wonder how much will be spent on feasability studies , consultants fees , a few trips abroad for councilors to look at similar developments , then guess what – it will never happen . i doubt if many kids can even swim nowadays , if it hasnt got a screen they dont want know .
Real world what a little ray of sunshine you are .
Built in 1933 by ww Martin the problem with it was the lack of foundations and it kept cracking
as for car parks back before and after WW2 people walked
I’m sure that in future there will be less need for car parks. Once the ban on new petrol ans diesel cars kicks in and the stock of second hand ones is depleted, for many people, owning an electric vehicle will just not be worth the hassle.
“for many people, owning an electric vehicle will just not be worth the hassle.”
E-vehicle sales going gangbusters says you’re talking rubbish.
Ok for those who like driving glorified milk floats, just like ol’ Ernie.
I HOPE THIS GETS THE GO -AHEAD. LOOK WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO RAMSGATE SINCE THEN. THE CINEMAS AND THE BOATING POOL THE GOLF AT THE WESTCLIFF-THE SHOPS IN RAMSGATE.
“… site of the former open air swimming pool…”
Former with good reason. From a business perspective, open air swimming pools are not viable. I learned to swim in the then open air Sheerness pool. Which was only open for certain months each year, due to levels of demand. Half a century ago it was enclosed and is still running today. Even the ancient Romans in Bath knew that Britain’s climate was not suitable for a lido. Why did Britons take 2,000 years to learn the same lesson?
History tells us that to build this or, even to give permission to build it, would be erroneous. Don’t do it!
With modern technology, it would be very easy to have a retractable roof and heating for the winter.
See Wembley. Retractable roof was its major USP to get the development passed. It broke months before the stadium opened and is brent councils biggest white elephant overspend, ever. For a roof like that to be viable, you’d need an engineer onstaff (£50k+ pa) or one on retainer (even more expensive), given they need regular service intervals (which would also result in the pool having to close regularly too).
Go for it! Sounds good.
So don’t make it retractable and actually use the roof for more functions.
Also just because Wembley doesn’t work doesn’t mean it won’t here the scale is a drop.in the ocean compared to Wembley, a retracting roof will easily work but it would be a waste of space to not use a roof space that well.posotioned for views cafes and public space, even a sun deck.
Look at Yokahama Ferry Terminal, something like that
All the usual “I love Ramsgate” brigade are conspicuously quiet on here.
Maybe they just got bored of you being a dick to them and decided to start ignoring you like the pub bore you present yourself as?
You stick to your beloved Reform.
We are. Reading the banal comments that you keep posting, we can’t think of anything that is age appropriate for you.
Interestingly though, as a self proclaimed fitness fanatic, why do you keep battering on about the need for the lift to be repaired? Nothing to do with elderly or disabled I assume, given your comment regarding the lack of need for parking near the proposed lido.
Why would they need car park if they have a lift?
Think things through more before commenting, Saggy88.
You talk out of your backside! For someone who hates Ramsgate, you spend an awful lot of time here, lurking in areas like King Street as well.
Yep. Been there twice in a year (both times last week)… and getting the 48 bus to/from Birchington.
Have you ever been on a bus, Saggy?
If only TDC maintained it all those years it would still be there . Plus the cheap holidays to spain ruined the uks holiday visitors . But wow yes wouldnt it be great and look wonderful . Then maybe Ramsgate might get some holiday makers .
Where would future travellers park when they turn up and find their old car park full of water? 😀
George lawrence – they will probably just park up in there anyway then complain about the water and TDC will drain it to keep them happy 😊
They will park up in there anyway then have TDC drain the water as they cant be expected to live in pool 😉
Make permanent roof form and proper building of architectural merit for theodern day, the roof would serve as a meeting space, concert area, have cafes and shops, below glass walls that open out in summer tonform open air not sky swimming, and close in winter to allow a swim with view of the sea, easily worth 12 to 15 quid a go. The roof can hav some lights.
Heritage Lab, nearly, but have a look at Yokahama Ferry Terminal, different scale but use that idea for the roof.
Now you have aultifunctional space that doesn’t rely on one use.
I think it would be lovely to have it back like it was before. But with all the rules & regulations we have now I’m afraid all the money will be spent on competing mega expensive designers, commissions, green credentials, and answering questions from solicitors: how come there’s no ramp for extra wide wheelchairs to get in the water?
Or, why is the signage in colour? We have lots of disabled and colourblind people in Thanet.
Comments above follow the set pattern of the general comments here. It’s should be about a pool, but it turns into a anti electric car campaign and a free ad for our useless green councillors.