Almost nine in 10 Haggerston residents want their local Victorian bathhouse restored to a swimming pool, a recent poll has revealed.
The bathhouse has been derelict since 2000 amid council cuts and the spiralling costs of maintenance, which have derailed plans to restore it to its original purpose.
A survey last week showed that 86 per cent of locals believe it is “very important” the Grade II listed building is restored to its original purpose. But Hackney Council says a swimming pool may not be feasible.
The original refurbishment would have cost £275,000 but the authority has warned they would need £15 million just to make the building safe.
A Haggerston councillor last month poured cold water on hopes of a new pool. “We need to build two schools in Hackney. If it’s between a school and a swimming pool, we have to choose the school,” Cllr Jonathan McShane said at a public meeting to discuss the building’s future.
Chris Pritchard, Interim Assistant Director of Strategic Property for the authority, added: “I think that housing is the most valuable thing that can be put on that site, though someone may come up with a better idea.”
The poll, which was conducted by the group Save Haggerston Baths and received 384 responses, also revealed that 90 per cent of residents want to see the bathhouse returned to community use in some capacity.
“I was told by colleagues that if I just stick it on the market for flats I’ll never be able to show my face in Hackney again,” Pritchard joked at the meeting in October.
The pool opened in 1904 but shut its doors in 2000 on health and safety grounds. The council says it plans to sell the building for £25 million with a 250 year lease.
In 2013, the Victorian Society included the baths in the top 10 of a buildings at-risk list.
Haggerston Baths, image: Hackney Council
