The people of Cornwall were asked to vote, and thanks to you Jubilee Pool has won national recognition as the proud winner of the national Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) 2017 People’s Choice Awards.

The award recognises engineering excellence from across the UK, with 12 regional winners competing against each other for the national title.

Penzance’s Jubilee Pool, the largest surviving tidal saltwater lido in the UK, held off strong competition from a project in Shropshire to win the award. The pool was up against projects like the redevelopment of London Bridge and the East Midlands Airport Runway refurbishment.

Martin Nixon, from the Friends of Jubilee Pool, said: “This is incredible news. I would like to thank Cornwall Council and Cormac for their hard work in bringing the pool back from the brink of extinction and renovating it to a standard many of us could only dream about.

“My utmost thanks also go to the Coastal Communities Fund, the Regional Growth Fund and Penzance Town Council for recognising the importance of the pool and providing grant funding to make sure it was brought back to life. I also would like to highlight the pivotal role played by my friends and colleagues in the community and the friends group, who never gave up hope and made sure the pool was never going to be forgotten.

“Most importantly, I would like to thank each and every person who voted for us. We were up against much bigger projects from more populated areas but this showed how passionate and proud we are in Cornwall, as well as how popular the pool is.”

Cornwall Council Leader and Chair of the Jubilee Pool steering group, Adam Paynter, said: “This is a fitting tribute to all the hard work that has gone into keeping this pool going throughout the years. In 2014, the pool was nearly destroyed. In 2017, it’s won a national award and is a real jewel in the crown for Cornwall. This award is testimony to all those involved from concept, design, delivery, to ongoing management, as well as to the people of Penzance and Cornwall and beyond, who supported it so well. Thank you.”

Nick James, Head of Cormac Contracting said: “Jubilee Pool has won this award though the support of the general public who have been asked by the Institution of Civil Engineers vote for their favorite civil engineering project in the UK. It reflects what the people who benefit from an improved built environment really think and it’s a great opportunity to say a big thank you to those who delivered the project. “As a Cornishman, it fills me with great pride that local engineering work, designed and delivered by a local company, on a local architectural gem, has been recognised across the country and won an award. The guys involved are absolutely thrilled and rightly so. They did a tremendous job.”

The £2.9m project to repair and renovate the 1930’s Art Deco sea water pool after it was damaged by the winter storms in 2014 came as a result of a fantastic community campaign led by the Friends of Jubilee Pool who organised a petition which was eventually signed by almost 4,000 people calling for funding for the works. This led to a successful bid for just under £2m from the Government’s Coastal Communities Fund. The scheme was led by Cornwall Council in partnership with architects Poynton Bradbury Winter Cole and CORMAC Solutions Ltd, who designed and carried out the works, with support from Nomenca and Mott MacDonald. The project was a major engineering feat, involving embedding 155 rock anchors into the granite below the pool, with extensive grouting carried out to the terraces and outer sea walls. 1363sq m of bespoke coloured recycled glass resin- bound paving was laid on the base and sides of the pool, with additional works to stabilise and repair the changing cubicles, sea water valves, ending with an extensive re-decoration scheme. The renovated pool, described by the New York Times as “ the best thing to see” in Penzance in their 52 Places to Go in 2017 list, which also placed Penzance at No 14, was officially opened by HRH the Prince of Wales in July 2016 to widespread media acclaim. It has now been transferred from the control of the Council to the Friends of Jubilee Pool who are responsible for its ongoing success.