Update on the Conservation Survey of Moseley Road baths – 3rd March 2006

Work on the Conservation Survey of Moseley Road baths, Balsall Heath has begun. The survey
is a pre-requisite of any Heritage Lottery Fund bid.

The Conservation Survey is costing £250,000 and is looking at both swimming pools and the library.

The whole survey is timetabled to finish in December 2006 and will be in a format ready to be presented to the Heritage Lottery Fund as a bid.

We have negotiated with the Heritage Lottery Fund to provide some flexibility on when the bid needs to be in. This is so that we can use the £1million already spent on emergency works to the baths as match funding. Previously, the HLF wanted the bid in by October 2006, but they have now agreed to move that date to the end of the calendar year.

Rodney Melville and Partners of Leamington Spa are doing the Conservation Survey work. They are at present doing the historical research element looking at how important the buildings are on a national context.

Another company is presently creating detailed drawings of the building complex.

Rodney Melville and Partners will start the on-site work in mid April – this is when they will look at the fabric condition of the building and calculate the costs of repair.

At the rear of the building, the Primary Care Trust is in the process of looking at demolishing and rebuilding the surgery as part of the LIFT programme. The PCT have looked at the possibility of re-locating the surgery into the 3 storey boiler house, but think the cost of renovation would be too high. However, they want to work with the Council so that the problems of access and car parking at the rear of the baths can be designed into the new surgery layout.