Pool plan doubts as backer quits

The redevelopment was expected to cost £23m

The developer behind a £23m plan to renovate a North Somerset leisure centre has backed out of the scheme.

The Tropicana outdoor pool complex in Weston-super-Mare has lain derelict since it was closed in 2000.

Mace wanted to build a hotel, leisure complex, multi-screen cinema and restaurants on the seafront site.

But on Tuesday, North Somerset Council revealed the company had decided not to continue with its plans because they would not be financially viable.

In September the council gave Mace until Tuesday, 16 November to come up with a detailed business plan for the site, after previous plans were thrown out.

'Practical decisions'

Council deputy leader Alan Hockridge said he was "extremely disappointed" with the company's decision.

Mr Hockridge is leading a council working party investigating future options for the site.

He said: "Having established that a major leisure pool with significant commercial development cannot be made viable on a self-funding basis, the council now has the opportunity to review its objectives for the site.

"It is important we put an end to the considerable speculation surrounding this project and make some practical decisions on the future development of the site."

There has been a pool on the seafront at Weston since the 1930s, but declining visitor numbers in the 1990s saw the council vote to close it.