‘Build it and they will come’: the hopes new life for former lido will revive Weston-super-Mare

Council has voted to lease the Tropicana to entertainment company Live Nation which plans to turn abandoned space into events venue The Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare was once a shimmering art deco lido, a premier coastal jewel where thousands flocked to bathe in the Somerset sun. But as the decades passed since its 1937 opening and an era of cheap air fares and Mediterranean holidays arrived, the lido’s lustre dimmed and it was closed in 2000. For 15 years, it sat as a hollowed-out shell, a sad monument to a left-behind town. But on Tuesday, North Somerset councillors took a step to change the narrative for the Tropicana – and, some hope, the entire town – by voting to offer a 25-year lease to transform the Tropicana into a year-round event space with a capacity of up to 10,000 to Live Nation, the global entertainment company behind about 20 UK music festivals including Reading, Leeds, Isle of Wight and Download, as well as the 02 Academy venues and the Ticketmaster brand. Alongside an upgrade to the nearly 100-year-old marine lake and renovations to the Grade II* listed, 19th century Birnbeck Pier, it is hoped that luring global stars to perform at the venue will contribute