Ice rink, Water Park and Roller Skating Plans For Tropicana in Weston-super-Mare

FINAL designs for The Tropicana swimming pool in Weston-super-Mare propose an ice rink, water park and roller skating along with a new tram system.

Ferguson Mann has come up with a new design for the redundant Tropicana after being commissioned by Weston businessman Richard Nightingale.

Mr Nightingale wanted to take over the famous pool complex back in 2006 when North Somerset Council were seeking a firm to take on its rejuvenation.

However, he lost out to Henry Boot Ltd with its £49 million plan three years on the scheme collapsed and the Tropicana once abandoned once again.

With the Tropicana out to tender again Mr Nightingale is determined to succeed this time around and has three architectural firms on board.

Each has come up with their innovative concept to bring the site into the 21st century.

Ferguson Mann has two options, which includes a conservation option retaining the existing buildings and creating a ‘European Style Spa’ and water park.

This option would see the buildings on Marine Parade restored and extended with a new lightweight second storey.

Within the existing sea walls two new buildings sit to the north and south of the bathing area.

These accommodate new commercial leisure uses and the spa facilities: changing rooms, cafe, steam rooms, treatment rooms, gym, dinning, and lounge facilities, all with access to a south facing roof level sun terrace.

The original iconic 1930’s Tropicana diving boards are also re-created as a centrepiece to the water park area.

In addition to the diving pool, fun and exercise pools are proposed with high level terraces for sun and hot tub bathing, access to flume rides and a bar.

A light weight roof structure is created to enclose the water park and to protect bathers from the elements.

Outside the sea walls a new wide board walk stretches around the Tropicana sea walls with shuttered openings for commercial spaces to open up.

The second option by Ferguson Mann sees a completely new building with the water park occupying the centre of the design.

A new board walk connects all the ground floor activities and offers direct access to the beach.

The transparent lower floors of the drum shaped water park building are raised above the board walk supported on a dynamic diagonal mast structure, revealing the flumes and slides suspended under the dome above.

Also in the dome would be an ice rink and rolling skating park and cafes with views into the water park and out to estuary and Wales beyond.

Both options would incorporate a modern tram system for the seafront running on tyres within the existing highway.

It is planned this would replace the open sided land train and instead offer weather protected transport between terminuses at Birnbeck Pier and Royal Sands. The full designs can be seen today (Monday September 27), at Nightingale Property Sales & Letting, Station Road, Weston.