Supporters of Ilkley Lido say they have big plans for the year ahead.

Last year saw an increase in visitor numbers, mostly down to good early summer.

And as well as hoping for plenty of sunshine in 2011, the Friends of Ilkley Lido have plenty of plans for the Bradford Council-owned site.

There is a proposal to turn a pavilion into a community gym and to build on the success of last year’s Live at the Lido concert.

Becky Malby, chairman of Friends of Ilkley Lido (FOIL), said the group hopes to work with the Council and private investors to transform an old pavilion into a gym. “We’re still exploring that as an option,” she said.

“At the moment because the Lido is listed it’s quite hard to develop the premises. The old pavilion structure is empty and it’s just used for storage now and we think it’s possible to turn into a community gym.

“It could be run by the private sector potentially. That would be a Council run but leased project.

“It’s very hard to split off a bit of the Lido and have somebody run it completely separate from the Council. At the moment we’re still pursuing it as a Council plan, but at the moment I guess this isn’t exactly a high priority for them.

“We’re just trying to keep the pressure up because it’s been an idea for quite a while.”

Although there were some complaints about noise after the event, last year’s Live at the Lido gig featuring local bands was a huge success.

This year the event will take place on Saturday, July 9, and Mrs Malby said aborted plans for a drive-in movie at the Lido could be included.

“The outdoor cinema thing we were doing last year got cancelled because at the very last minute we got some unexpected fees,” she said.

“But the people supplying all the Live at the Lido gear have just sent me a quote for doing the cinema so it looks much more possible.”

The Lido needs maintenance work, but Mrs Malby said she is not sure of the implications in the wake of Council funding cuts.

She said: “The base of the Lido got very damaged by the frost last year and got patched up but really it needs a complete new lining.

“Whether they can afford that this year or whether it will be patched up again I really don’t know.

“The Lido’s not under any threat and it absolutely covers its cost. What we can do as friends is to keep developing it as a good local facility.”