Architects appointed to revamp the Tropicana

A major £8.7m project — funded as part of North Somerset Council’s winning £20m bid to the government’s Levelling Up Fund — will see the former lido on the seafront transformed into a “highly flexible venue” as the council is set to launch its hunt for a new operator to step in and run the venue on a commercial basis.

Since Banksy used it as the setting for his Dismaland bemusement park in 2015, North Somerset Council has run the Tropicana as an events space for hire, recently hosting the iconic SEE Monster in 2022.

But Mike Solomon, the council’s executive member responsible for seafronts, events and concessions, warned:

“The reality is that it doesn’t currently cover its operational costs and it needs significant repair.

“Thanks to our Levelling Up Fund award, it will be given a new lease of life to make sure facilities are fit for purpose and flexible enough to host a wider range of activities.”

Recent surveys identified repairs to the structure’s roofing, walls, flooring, heating, lighting, ventilation, and drainage as major priorities, as well as a need to upgrade the toilet facilities. 

Now the Tropicana is set to close from September for almost a year for the major upgrade, with hopes that the new operator can move in from August 2025. London-based architects RCKa, who specialise in “socially responsive architecture,” have been handed the task of revamping the former lido.

Dieter Kleiner, director of the firm, said:

“We’ve proposed a design and construction programme to improve the Tropicana’s structure to make it resilient and fit for purpose. We’ll then lead an ambitious public engagement programme, working with local artists and others to map a way forward to reviving the Tropicana as a commercially viable and highly flexible venue to accommodate a wider range of entertainment activities.

“Key to a successful future will be broadening focus beyond Weston’s seasonal visitor economy to encompass ‘everyday’ activities to improve the daily lives of local people, while bringing additional social value to the town.”

Mr Solomon added:

“We want to attract higher profile acts, culture and entertainment events to elevate Weston’s place within the regional, national and international scene. The important basic infrastructure works will enable a commercial operator to help us in this goal, which is an extremely exciting prospect not just for the town and local residents but for North Somerset and beyond.”

The plan to find a new commercial operator for the Tropicana will go before North Somerset Council’s full meeting on Tuesday February 19, which will also see councillors vote on the council’s budget for the next year. A commercial operator could be handed a 15-year lease for the facility, which would require them to be responsible for maintaining the structure.

First opened as a lido in 1936, the Tropicana closed as a pool in 2000. Despite the hopes of some in the town and on the council, there are no plans to turn it back into a pool. Previous attempts to bring in a commercial partner to restore a pool at the venue proved “unviable.”

But a “soft market testing” exercise in 2023 found 14 expressions of interest in taking on the Tropicana as a venue now.