Coate Water's iconic diving board has been completely covered up as a £120,000 project to restore it to its former glory continues.

Last week a pontoon was installed around the Art Deco structure and since then workers have been busy building a scaffolding tower on the floating base. 

Read: Coate Water diving board revamp begins

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It is part of a 12-week programme of work that Swindon Borough Council's specialist contractor will carry out to restore the listed landmark in one of the town's major beauty spots. 

Years of neglect and wear and tear left the diving board in a dangerous state but it will be cleaned, have protective layers and minor repairs and replica 1930s guardrails will be installed. 

While many have welcomed this move, which is set to cost in the region of £100,000 and £120,000, others aren't sure how beneficial it will be. 

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Royston Cartwright, who snapped the pictures of the ongoing work while walking around the country park, said: "A diving board without water to dive into is as much use as a cooking pot with no fire to put it on."

He posted his snaps onto Facebook and a healthy debate followed from Swindon residents, with most reacting positively to the restoration work. 

Linn Pill, a former Swindon resident who now lives in New Zealand, said: "I remember Coate Water oh so well, it was a wonderful place to go to. That diving board was amazing. You are very lucky the council is doing all this, councils here would just demolish it."

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But others argued that the money could be better spent elsewhere and many, like Royston, wanted to see a way for the diving board to actually be used. 

Donald Carter said: "The best way to keep something preserved is to use it, otherwise it falls into neglect. There are many ways to keep the birds off, people using it is one of them.

"My suggestion of surrounding the platform with a caisson filled with clean water maintained at a slightly higher level than the lake level would ensure that hydrostatic pressure would prevent lake water from entering.

"I think if people were once again able to use it, for a small fee, would greatly enhance the park, maybe actually make a profit."