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Council issues update on future of Weston-super-Mare Tropicana
A dozen potential operators have thrown their hat in the ring to take on the running of Weston-super-Mare’s Tropicana. North Somerset Council launched a hunt earlier this year to find a new operator to run the seafront attraction.
Interested parties were asked to submit expressions of interest and their ideas to run the venue. The move comes after the council was awarded £20m in government ‘levelling up’ funding, £7 million of which will be spent on the Tropicana.
The work will see the iconic venue brought up to modern day standards, with a new heating system, additional fire exits and new toilets at the site. It is understood there will also be improvements to the Bay Café.
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The venue will remain an open air arena and there are no plans to install a roof on the building. The arena will be able to hold up to 8,000 people, with some seating.
Council chiefs said that operators must ‘demonstrate that proposals will add to the quality and diversity of the seafront offer’, and that they have a ‘successful track record relevant to their proposals’.
North Somerset Council chiefs said interest in the venue has been strong. North Somerset Council’s executive member for business and economy, Councillor Mark Canniford said: “We have received a strong interest in the Tropicana.
“All applications will now be assessed and shortlisted. We will be looking at what each application can invest and what their plans bring to the town.
“The process is still ongoing. We have a busy summer programme at the Tropicana and we don’t envisage a decision being made on any potential operator until the autumn.”
The Tropicana, which opened in 1937, has played host to some truly iconic and notable events and celebrities over its many years, from classics including Laurel and Hardy and Diana Dors to the internationally-renowned street artist Banksy who brought his bemusement park Dismaland to the venue in 2015. When the Tropicana first opened the pool, at 950sq metres, it was the largest open air swimming pool in Europe, famed for its art deco diving board.
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It was renovated in the early 1980s by Woodspring District Council which successfully applied for permission to demolish the diving boards. The diving boards were replaced by a wave machine, pineapple water chutes and a water heater.
On its first day, 7,500 visitors turned up, meaning many had to queue until 6pm to get in. In 1997, the lido celebrated its 60th birthday with late comedian Eddie Large opening the party.
But just three years later, after yet another wet summer, The Tropicana closed its doors as a swimming pool for the last time. In more recent years, money has been invested in the building and it has hosted a number of events from outdoor music festivals to ice rinks to most recently the towering SEE MONSTER art installation.
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