A SUBSTATION needed to power the multi-million pound transformation of Saltdean Lido was never built despite council assurances to bidders for the site.

Brighton and Hove City Council told companies seeking the leasehold of the country’s only grade II* listed lido that an electricity substation was located in the south east corner of the site under a lease until 2045.

But infrastructure experts told The Argus while there was a space reserved on the site for the substation, it was never used.

And campaigners claim the revelation puts the onus on Brighton and Hove City Council to give the community interest company a £70,000 interest-free loan to pay for the installation of a new substation.

Saltdean Lido Community Interest Company (CIC) and the council remain at loggerheads over who should pay for the increased energy supply months after the first request of funding was made and two weeks after contractors were due to begin work.

It had been hoped that the lido pool would re-open next summer after its refurbishment had been completed over the winter.

But those hopes have been thrown into chaos after electrical consultants working on the project discovered that existing power cables had been incorrectly labelled and could only deliver a third of the power that the building needs.

Lido campaigners claim they were given assurances in July that the council “would do everything they could” to help meet the costs of a new sub-station but talks broke down on Friday afternoon with the CIC unwilling to accept the council’s offer of a £10,000 loan.

Work has been suspended on the site until the matter can be resolved.

CIC bosses said that they had to take on faith the information given them to the council during the bidding process as they were not allowed to bring their own experts to inspect the site before agreeing to lease the site from the council for 60 years.

A council document issued to interested parties in March 2013 confirms their promise that an electricity substation was located in the south east corner of the site under a lease until 2045.

Rebecca Crook, chairwoman of directors at the CIC, said: “I can’t understand why the council said the substation had got a lease.

“There are a lot of other subleases on the site for the library and the beautician and it makes me question whether these exist."

A UK Power Networks spokeswoman said: “This site was reserved for an electricity substation to prepare for future electricity demand, but it has never been used.

“Although the lido has an existing electricity supply our customer has requested an upgraded supply requiring a new transformer further away from the site, cabling and a road crossing. “We have offered to meet the customer to clarify the options available.”