A MAJOR investment of £400,000 will be poured into Droitwich's salt-water facilities, prompting delight from town councillors and campaign groups.

At a packed meeting of Wychavon District Council's Executive Board on Wednesday night, it was agreed £200,000 secured when BMI closed the town's brine baths in 2009 would be given to Wychavon Leisure, which runs the town's lido.

And the other half will be set aside to support a viable plan to reopen the brine baths, a move applauded by campaign group Save Our Brine Baths (SOBBs).

The investment was recommended by Cllr Lynne Duffy and seconded by Cllr Richard Morris, who is spearheading a new Brine Heritage Charity to promote Droitwich's rich salt history.

Cllr Morris, who sits on Droitwich Town Council and Wychavon District Council, said he was pleased with the council's decision.

"There is a lot of opportunity, I believe that could really help Droitwich in its tourism and in its image as a brine town," said the former mayor of Droitwich.

"I am pleased it got voted through and now look forward to hearing about the talks between Wychavon and Wychavon Leisure to see what we can do now it is on a more secure footing."

He added he wanted to see the money used in part to increase promotion of the lido and on addressing parking at the facility.

The decision has also been heralded by the mayor of Droitwich, Councillor Graham Beale, who said: "We are very pleased that they are moving forward at last. We have waited so long.

"We would like to have the lido open longer. We are not sure sure what the project is going to be. We just have to wait and see what happens.

"If it brings in more people and if we can put the spa back into Droitwich then that will be part of the history of the town and I think all these things we add to the overall benefit of the town.

"The whole point is that we are moving forward and that is the key thing."

Wychavon Leisure, which has been running the lido since 2007, will now manage the facility on a long-term deal until 2031 which will allow it to invest in the facilities and improve them.

Over the last five years has only had a rolling 12 month agreement with the council, preventing it from making any major investments in the lido.

Currently the lido costs the council £30,000 a year, plus money to cover any shortfall between income and running costs. Under the new arrangement, the cost to Wychavon would be significantly less.

However the council's promise to make available a further £200,000 to restore the brine baths is reliant on a "commercially led, viable and deliverable" plan.

William Moy, chair of SOBBs which has campaigned to reopen the brine baths, said the committee is currently putting the finishing touches to such a proposal to be submitted before Christmas.

He said: "I'm absolutely delighted. We are very pleased that the lido is going to be set on a much firmer basis in the future.

"We are thinking about the old Art Deco building and the pump room - to the front of that there is an extra piece of carpark . We will propose building a brine bath there as an adjunct to the lido building in a similar Art Deco style."

Cllr Lynne Duffy, portfolio holder for resources at Wychavon Council, said: "This is a significant investment in leisure facilities in Droitwich. It will give Wychavon Leisure the security it needs to further invest and improve the lido for residents and visitors, while we’re also maintaining our commitment to support any viable proposal to restore the town’s brine baths."

Peter Williams, managing director for Wychavon Leisure, added: "We are delighted the council has made a decision that will enable Wychavon Leisure to make long-term plans to improve facilities and services at the lido for the benefit of our customers."

Mr Williams was unavailable to comment further on how Wychavon Leisure might consider spending the money at the Lido.