"Iconic Coventry Elephant building put up for rent"

[dutchman]

Coventry's former swimming baths to be demolished as government decision confirmed



Coventry's former swimming baths are to be demolished after the Government gave the go-ahead to knock down the listed building.

Central Baths, the swimming pool building at Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre in Fairfax Street, opened in 1966 and was described by the then Lord Mayor as the finest baths in Europe.

The Grade II-listed, council-owned building, in the city centre's St Michael's ward, houses a now-disused, 50m Olympic-sized pool. But the leisure centre has been closed since February 2020 after the council said it had "come to its natural end" amid spiralling maintenance costs.

Efforts to secure a new operator or owner have not proved successful. Around £400,000 a year has had to be spent on the upkeep of the leisure centre since its closure, including security and insurance charges. The adjoining part of the complex, known as The Elephant, is not part of the demolition plans.

Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has now written to Coventry City Council to approve demolition of the site.

His letter explains that listed building consent has been granted, subject to conditions including that the demolition must be carried out within three years, and archaeological investigations and bat surveys must be undertaken.

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

The society pointed to the lack of renovation proposed for the Elephant building, the lack of civic function proposed for the site following demolition of the baths, and the loss of a strongly civic-focused building with the potential for reuse as a public building (for example, as a food hall). This meant there weren't enough good reasons to knock down the building, it argued.

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

Two members of the public also objected, saying the "iconic building with fabulous windows" should be repurposed and that the baths were an important part of Coventry life for families. It was "shameful" that the city council had allowed the site to fall into disrepair, they said.

National planning policy says that if a development will lead to substantial harm or total loss of a designated heritage asset, permission should be refused unless there are greater benefits to the work going ahead.

The Secretary of State said he had "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."

In 2025, more than 700 people signed a petition calling for the modernisation and reopening of The Elephant as a dedicated indoor sports centre "comparable to the University of Warwick's Sports and Wellness Hub – albeit on a smaller scale."

[dutchman]

There was a debate at the time: "Should the council build one big pool in the centre of Coventry or ten smaller pools dotted around the city?"