From pool to brewery? Future of Haggerston Baths up for debate

Haggerston Baths. Photograph: Hackney Council

A brewery, a theatre, a hotel, a swimming pool and homes are just some of the many ideas Hackney Council has received for the future of Haggerston Baths.

Hackney Council put a 250-year lease of the Grade-II listed bathhouse on the market in June, calling for developers to take the plunge and submit “expressions of interest”.

The Council says it has received 29 proposals for the 111-year-old Whiston Road building, attracting bids from “a range of individuals, firms and developers”.

Campaigners from Haggerston Pools Trust, who wish to see the building returned to use as a public swimming pool, tried to get the pool listed as an Asset of Community Value last year but were unsuccessful.

While four proposals include swimming pools, other ideas include using the building to build new homes or for mixed-use schemes.

There are also proposals for hotels, a brewery, retail, a music venue and recording studio, a museum, and an arts hub.

The proposals will be discussed at a public meeting on Thursday 8 October at the VLC Community Centre, next door to the baths at 7pm.

The feedback will be passed on to the bidders to help shape and refine their formal propositions.

Cllr Jonathan McShane, Cabinet Member for Health, a speaker from the Haggerston Pool Community Trust; and Chris Pritchard, Assistant Director of Property Services at the Council will be speaking at the meeting.

The Council is currently spending an approximate £100,000 upkeep on maintenance and security of the building. It estimates that it will cost around £25 million to make the building safe and bring it back into public use.