WATER once again filled Parliament Hill’s lido this week as work on its controversial £2.9 million revamp nears its finish.
Just two weeks before its scheduled re-opening, workmen are putting the final touches to the pool, which has been made shallower and lined with stainless steel to prevent leaks.
Disabled and pushchair access has been improved, with ramps installed on either side of the original art deco entrance and narrow football ground-style turnstyles removed.
The lido, designed by architect Harry Rowbotham in 1938, was leaking thousands of litres of water a day and was in desperate need of repair, according to Hampstead Heath guardian the Corporation of London.
Critics say work which has increased the size of the shallow end and removed the original diving board has compromised the pool’s usefulness to serious swimmers. They say money would have been better spent on heating the pool throughout the winter months.
But Heath Superintendent Simon Lee said: “It’s just as easy as it ever was for people to swim lengths. People can still dive in at the deep end.
“All we have done is extend the shallow end a little further so we can accommodate more children and parents in the extremely busy summer months.”
The pool opens to the public again on May 28.