Thursday 1 November 2007

Memberships


There's a couple of important reasons as to why we're doing memberships available before we've even opened, firstly the interest is very positive and making them available now gives the opportunity for local people to definitely make sure that they will get a membership. As we get nearer to opening the coverage is going to be greater and therefore we can assume that so is the interest. At the moment it's all very local so only fair that locals can have the first refusal on memberships. The second reason is that founder membership funding will be all important contributions to development costs, so not only are early members guaranteeing membership but also satisfyingly knowing that their contribution is a proud, building block within the development of Britain's oldest and best heated outdoor pool. Grand stuff.
For details on memberships, and there's lots of different ones available to suit all, visit our web site http://www.cliftonlido.com/ memberships at the bottom of the home page.
Since the open day and with good old word of mouth membership applications have been hitting the desk almost every day, which is very encouraging. How long left until we reach the 1000 allocations?...

Friday 19 October 2007

How long will it take?

Soon to be self suspending stairs


Building the Lido...



Well given the shear size of the project and the sensitive complexities that will be carefully monitored by the English heritage and the council planners, this is certainly not going to be a rushed, quick development. I was up on site today and 23 palates of certain sized blocks were being carried onto site, roughly a days work for quite a few labourers! I thought that this project for the time being will only be going as fast as it can as this critical building stage cannot afford to be rushed, the whole build has to be spot on.





In the main reception the builders are piecing together some 3 story self gravitating stairs, which are quite cleaver. Basically the individual steps are shaped that they interlock with each other and are so heavy that once in position they will never move. Sounds great. Trouble is interlocking 3 flights of stairs with each step weighing almost half a tonne, as we've experienced this week, just a couple of mm out and the knock on magnified effect of the wayward 2 mm results in starting again. A frustratingly slow but ever so precise exercise.
So when will the Lido be finished you ask: Major destruction and clear out by the end of Oct 07. Major construction of reception, spa treatment rooms, mechanics, toilets and kitchen rooms, ground floor lounge and first floor restaurant shelled out by March 08. First power supply fixing April, cosmetics and second phase fixing May and June. I don't know exactly but given some hard work and a bit of luck we should be getting our feet wet by next summer, we think.
If you want to gaurentee your little pinkies getting wet, then you will be wanting to join one of the many memberships already available...

Thursday 18 October 2007

Doors Open Day

After a frantically busy open day at the Lido last month organised as a Bristol open doors day by the city council it became very apparent very quickly ( in about 2 and a half hours) that there is already a lot of interest in the Lido. The council for warned us before the open doors day that as one of the bigger sites in Bristol participating that we could probably expect over 1000 visitors. Humbug we thought, humbled we were. After an hour and a half the 500 'blurb' leaflets that we had printed had all been snapped up. Off I sped to get another 1000 copies printed and they went just as quick. On a gloriously sunny Saturday afternoon, over 2500 people turned up to look around this building site. We fully realised the seriousness of interest when the Lord Mayor of Bristol turned up for an impromptu visit. He approved.
After a day of answering questions to what seemed like the world and his wife, it became apparent that there were two main questions, 1. When will it be ready and 2. how can I join??

Tuesday 16 October 2007

Builders



Since the planing was granted, preliminary works have been carried out, clearing up and taking out the unwanted to get the site down to the bare bones. We have had to be careful to make sure that every thing has been done to a standard that will keep the listed building planners and council happy as this is a grade 2 historic listed building. Whilst we're going back to the shell we also want to conserve any of the features that have made this a special place since 1849, for example the original pool side changing cubicles are to be preserved and put back fully restored, they're full of character. In the mean time the place looks like a bombs hit it with the contractors firmly both hands on the detonator.. this is the painstaking part of the project that looks ugly but it will all surely but worth it ten fold when its done..

Saturday 13 October 2007

Hedonistic Leisure

The Clifton Lido was GRANTED FULL PLANNING PERMISSION on the 2nd August 2006 for the "Restoration of outdoor pool and associated buildings to provide mixed use development comprising subscription pool and associated spa facilities (with sauna, mud rooms, treatment rooms, meeting rooms etc) and restaurant and poolside bar/lounge".

Work has begun.

THE SITE:
This historic Grade II, Bristol landmark site in the heart of Clifton, originally opened as a lido in 1849, is being sensitively redeveloped by the Glass Boat Co to its former glory with additional treatment rooms and a poolside restaurant; works are to be complete for summer 2008.
The 25m pool will be permanently heated using the latest solar and heat management technology to make it the most eco-friendly lido in the South West of England.

THE AIM:
Lets get this right and state from the word go that the Clifton Lido will not be a place for body building or extreme vanity, the aim is simply to create an environment of decent hedonistic leisure. Here goes..
 

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