Swimming baths demolition to go ahead

A disused city centre swimming baths once described as "the finest" in Europe will finally be demolished after the government gave approval.

Coventry's Olympic-sized pool and adjoining leisure centre on Fairfax Street has sat empty since it was shut in February 2020 to save money.

Coventry City Council said the Grade II-listed, authority-owned building had "come to its natural end", amid spiralling maintenance costs.

Steve Reed, the secretary of state for housing, communities and local government, has now written to the council to approve the bulldozing of the swimming pool section of the site.

The leisure centre, know locally as The Elephant, is not part of the demolition plans.

Reed's letter, dated 21 May, explained listed building consent has been granted, subject to work being carried out within three years, and archaeological investigations and bat surveys.

The Twentieth Century Society objected to the proposal, saying the total loss of the building was not justified by any benefits.

They pointed to there being no plans to renovate the Elephant building, and the loss of a building that could be reused by the public.

Coventry Society also objected on the grounds of "insufficient justification" and added the site was in a sensitive location near the Cathedral Quarter.

It asked for a "high-quality proposal" for future use of the site to be brought forward, and for confirmation of the long-term future of the Elephant building.

Two members of the public had also objected, saying the "iconic building" should be repurposed and it was "shameful" the city council had allowed the site to fall into disrepair.

The secretary of state "carefully considered the proposal, including the objections submitted by the Twentieth Century Society, but has concluded that the benefits of the proposal outweigh the harm to the heritage asset".

Figures obtained by the BBC in August last year revealed almost £2.3m had been spent on the site, including security and insurance charges, since it was closed.

In 2025, more than 700 signed a petition calling for the modernisation and reopening of The Elephant as a dedicated indoor sports centre.

When the pool building opened in 1966 it was described by the then Lord Mayor as the finest baths in Europe.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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