Demolition set to begin on historic Coventry baths
A derelict swimming baths once described as the finest in Europe is set to be demolished, after getting the green light from the housing secretary this month.
In a report published in November last year, owners Coventry City Council said the grade two-listed Coventry Central Baths building had “no realistic chance” of re-opening and was costing taxpayers £400,000 per year, despite being mothballed.
The city council had spent the past five years working with Warwickshire-based Redford Developments to find a new use for the former leisure complex, which closed due to financial constraints in 2020.
The authority now hoping to secure a “high quality regeneration scheme” on the four-acre site, after housing secretary Steve Reed approved the city council’s listed building consent application for demolition of the building, confirmed in a letter sent at the end of last month.
Demolition contracts will now be awarded, along with initial site preparation works, following the decision.
Located on Fairfax Street, the swimming pool complex was opened in 1966. It sits next to the modernist Elephant building – opened in 1976 as a sports centre – and in the heart of Coventry city centre. The Central Baths building was Grade II listed in 1997, but the opening of the Olympic-sized pool at the Alan Higgs Centre, and The Wave indoor water park in 2019, meant the outdated facility was surplus to requirements.
“We would have loved to protect Cov Baths, as it is a part of our city, and has a place in many people’s hearts, but we must find a way to bring this area back to life. We are therefore grateful for MHCLG’s approval to demolish the site, enabling us to plan something special,” said Cllr Lynnette Kelly, deputy leader of Coventry City Council.
“Since the Cov Baths closed in February 2020, there has been extensive work carried out to try to find a suitable use for the site. Redford Developments specialises in this kind of work, but despite their best efforts this has been unsuccessful and the building remains empty.
“This means a prominent space in our city is being left to decay and is costing taxpayers thousands of pounds every year. This cannot be allowed to continue.”
Coventry City Council was awarded £50,000 of grant funding from Homes England to seek approval to demolish the Central Baths and plan for the wholescale regeneration of the site. Make Architects has proposed initial design principles, concepts and sustainability. Works to prepare the site for demolition can now commence, along with the procurement of the demolition contract.
Richard Mees, chief executive of Henley-in-Arden-based Redford Developments, said: “Over recent years, this former swimming pool has been condemned as unfit for its function and is a financially unviable property asset. Considerable efforts to repurpose the site have been undertaken, including a national marketing exercise and significant work by our consultant team to explore all possible options to retain the asset, however there are fundamental issues preventing its re-use.
“We have worked alongside the Council, commissioning specialists to determine the condition of the asset and assess the optimum way forward. Options for re-use, reconfiguration, partial demolition and full demolition have all been analysed, with full demolition established as being in the best interests for the Council and the people of Coventry.
“Now the decision by MHCLG has been made, we can work with the Council to commission the demolition of the derelict structure, reducing the ongoing cost burden to taxpayers. As a cleared site in the beating heart of such a vibrant city centre, it will have a bright future.”
