New plans for swimming and sports activities at Crewe’s Flag Lane Baths

The administrators of a not-for-profit sports activities membership say they need to tackle a city’s Nineteen Thirties swimming baths and reopen them with a spread of sports activities amenities.

The Flag Lane Baths in Crewe, Cheshire, have been empty since 2016 when new amenities opened at Crewe Lifestyle Centre.

James Bellis and Andrew Chandler, who run The Cheshire County Sports Club in Chester, say they need to see the constructing reopened below a scheme they estimate would value about £5m, and hope it may entice National Lottery heritage funding.

The group has approached the council and visited the location, with Mr Bellis saying “we just think it’s awful, the fact that it’s been left empty for nine years”.

More not too long ago, there have been trespassers on the web site that had led to some injury, he added.

The authority had beforehand introduced plans to demolish the constructing and construct a college on the location, having held discussions with the Department for Education.

Prior to that, there have been plans to show the previous swimming baths right into a group hub – however these were dropped in 2024 because of significant cost increases and delays with the project.

The constructing first opened in 1937 and a Cheshire East Council report described it as being from a interval when Crewe had the biggest engineering works on the earth.

“It’s a very grand Art Deco building, it really is beautiful and is a part of Crewe’s history,” Mr Bellis mentioned.

He mentioned there was “always a chance” plans to construct a college there could not progress, and that he was excited in regards to the prospect of with the ability to swim there once more.

The group’s plans additionally embrace house for socialising in addition to sauna, a restaurant and studio house.

Outside the constructing, Mr Bellis mentioned there can be room for six padel tennis courts.

“We hope we could make it into something for everyone,” he mentioned.

Mr Bellis mentioned that if funding might be secured, it could be helpful for the council to get the constructing “off their books”, below the scheme that has attracted a constructive response on social media.

“There’s been hundreds of comments on Facebook, people saying they’d love to see it saved – they’ve learned to swim there, their family members have learned to swim there.

“It would simply be good to see the constructing preserved, actually, for generations to return and let’s get individuals swimming there once more.”

The authority continues to have to satisfy prices related to safety and repairs on the web site.