Plans have been confirmed to transform Tropicana into an 8,000 capacity open-air arena - and work will start this summer. Council chiefs estimate between £6-7million will be spent on the seafront venue, which is just 45 minutes from Bristol.
Workers are expected to start after Weston's main 2023 summer season ends. The move comes after the council was awarded £20 million in Government ‘levelling up’ funding, a large slice of which will be spent on the Tropicana.
Improvements include 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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North Somerset Council executive member for placemaking and economy, Councillor Mark Canniford, said: “The money will be used to bring the Tropicana up to the standard it needs to be. A lot of work needs to be done.
“The heating is noisy and inefficient and needs to be replaced and one of the biggest issues is how we create enough emergency exits on a building which is on a beach and sits in water some of the time.
“We also need to provide more toilets for a larger venue. We don’t want portable toilets so need to look at building new blocks. I am thrilled that in the last four years, including two years of the covid pandemic, we have managed to get a solution to both the Tropicana and Birnbeck Pier.”
The council is also currently drawing up a prospectus which will be published next month to look for a partner to run the Tropicana once the work is completed. “The council will be looking at whether we work with a partner to run the Tropicana,” said Mr Canniford.
“Any partner would also be expected to invest in the venue and bring forward new ideas. The work planned for the Tropicana will not begin until the main summer season has ended.
“Not only that, but we also have a number of events booked for the venue for this year.” 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. It was renovated in the early 1980s by Woodspring District Council which successfully applied for permission to demolish the diving boards.
In August 2015, the venue was used to stage Banksy's pop-up exhibition, Dismaland. And it's currently being used as the home for the towering SEE MONSTER art installation.
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