Urgent repair work to fix the crumbling London Fields lido has been postponed – because no contractors were up to the job.

Hackney Council announced last month the swimming pool would be closed from the end of November until spring, but that is no longer the case.

The town hall said “despite a comprehensive tendering process, a contractor capable of delivering the high standard of work required did not come forward”.

The pool will now remain open for the time being with operators GLL monitoring the cracking walls of the tank, which were set to be repaired.

The delay will also give the council the chance to address concerns, particularly from female users, about plans to convert the changing rooms into a “changing village”. Architects will now be asked to keep the segregated male and female areas.

Community services boss Cllr Jon Burke has also called for architects to include lockers, shower cubicles and family changing areas in their designs.

He said: “Once the revised design has been developed, we will provide members with a copy of the scheme and an opportunity to provide feedback any final comments. Following this process, we will be able appoint a contractor and announce a start-date for the proposed works.”

He said he would also explore suggestions from users for a poolside sauna and the use of solar panels to heat the lido, and confirmed requests for outdoor showers had been granted.

“Given the complexity and planning requirements of a sauna and renewable energy, we will explore these proposals as part of future works.

“We are, however, delighted to announce that we will be delivering the additional outdoor showers requested as part of the current refurbishment works.”

If the tiles continue to crack over the winter months the pool may be closed at short notice, the council warned.

Members who have already frozen or suspended their membership and want to reactivate it until the closure period has been confirmed should contact Nicola Flaherty on Nicola.flaherty@gll.org.

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