The trust behind the restoration of the Cleveland Pools says it has now confirmed the full extent of the flood damage that forced the Georgian lido to close two years ago, but has warned that finding the money to repair and reopen the site remains a major challenge.
Swimming in the Cleveland Pools | Photo courtesy of Kitty Dimbleby
In a financial report lodged last autumn, the Cleveland Pools Trust revealed that the January 2024 floods not only ruined plant and machinery in the pools’ plant room, but also damaged the structure and connecting pipework.
Trustees said that repair costs could be “substantial, and beyond the resources available to the trust”, raising the possibility that the pools might never reopen.
The new update, issued on Thursday 19th February, confirmed that a programme of “detailed technical and engineering investigations” has now been completed, covering the condition of the pools, the plant room and the structure beneath the main pool.
The Cleveland Pools in Bath | Photo © Anthony Brown / Cleveland Pools Trust
Those complex surveys, carried out by specialist engineers and contractors, have identified damage to pipework beneath the main pool in addition to the previously reported flooding of the plant room and equipment.
The Cleveland Pools Trust is now finalising cost estimates for the remedial works needed to restore the site.
Trustees say the scale of work required means that securing the future of the 207-year-old, Grade II* listed baths will involve “a significant funding challenge”, and that identifying a viable route to investment is now their primary focus.
While the original restoration design took account of climate change and flood risk, the trust is also considering whether further changes could be made to improve the site’s resilience to future extreme weather events.
Owned by Bath & North East Somerset Council and held on a long-term lease by the Cleveland Pools Trust, the riverside baths were brought back from dereliction thanks to support from a wide range of funders, including the National Lottery Heritage Fund, other heritage bodies, donors, companies and individuals.
How the Cleveland Pools previously looked | Photo © Casey Ryder
More than £9.5 million was raised, allowing restoration work to begin in April 2021 and be completed in 2022.
Before reopening to swimmers in September 2023, the trust sublet the site to leisure operator Fusion Lifestyle on a long-term, full repairing and insuring sub-lease.
The relaunch attracted national attention and multiple awards for community engagement, volunteering and conservation, including a European conservation prize in 2023, making the closure after the January 2024 floods “deeply disappointing for everyone involved”.
Despite the setbacks, trustees insist they are still working towards a return to swimming.
They are exploring options for restoring and reopening the pools, and say some elements of the original design may need to be reconsidered – potentially requiring further permissions and extra time before work can begin.
Alongside that, the trust is rebuilding and strengthening its board, including appointing a new chair, to ensure it has the skills and capacity needed to manage the next phase.
Chair Peter Askew said: “The Trustees believe this effort will be worthwhile if the oldest public open-air swimming pools in Britain can once again be enjoyed as a valued community asset, supporting health, wellbeing and year-round access to swimming.
“In the meantime, the Trust remains hugely grateful to its volunteers and supporters who continue to care for the site and stand behind the future of Cleveland Pools.”
