Peckham Lido has hit its crowdfunding target

For all its pop-up happenings and trendy trappings, the one thing Peckham is lacking is an open-air pool. There used to be one at the tip of Peckham Rye common, but it was closed and filled in back in 1987. That’s nearly 30 years without anywhere to spend a steamy Saturday splashing about in Speedos.

But that looks set to change, as a crowdfunding campaign to bring open-air swimming back to SE15 just hit its £63k target.

The money – which includes £7.5k from the Mayor and £10k from Southwark Council – will be used to perform a feasibility study on bringing the lido back to Peckham Rye common. But the 50-metre pool is just the start – the proposed facility also includes an outdoor cinema with amphitheatre seating, a restaurant, gym and a yoga studio. Basically, enough stuff to make sure you needn’t set foot outside SE15 on a hot weekend.

Consultations will begin in earnest in the autumn, with a pre-planning application expected to be presented to Southwark Council by the end of the year.

No word yet on how soon the plans may come to fruition, but the good news for splash-happy Peckhamites is that pooling resources looks set to pay off.

In the meantime, here are 34 brilliant things to do in Peckham