Hilsea Lido and Portsmouth Port secure Levelling Up funding boost

A port terminal extension, the revamp of a lido and the creation of the UK's longest urban park have all been given the go-ahead following a £20m boost.

Portsmouth has been allocated the money as part of the government's Levelling Up Fund announced in the budget.

Funding of £8.75m will go towards creating Linear Park, which will incorporate a revamped Hilsea Lido.

The trust that runs the lido said it would become "the iconic venue that the whole of Portsmouth can be proud of".

Campaign group Hilsea Lido Pool for the People said on its Facebook page: "Following over a decade of fighting very, very hard and proving to the powers that be that Hilsea Lido is an amazing venue and people from near and far love it, we have finally been awarded the investment needed to ensure the future of Hilsea Lido."

The remaining £11.25m has been allocated for an extension to the passenger terminal at Portsmouth Port.

City council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson said the money from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities would enable work to get under way by 2023.

He said: "The success of the port will be transformational for the city, providing employment opportunities and complementing the offer as the UK's leading marine and maritime region."

Hilsea Lido, which dates from the 1930s, closed in 2007 and was reopened by a charity formed by local residents in 2014.

It is now run by volunteers and paid lifeguards but has been closed since August due to technical problems.

Follow BBC South on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].