COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

It is on the rental market to find a new use



Offers are open on the future use of Coventry’s iconic Elephant building, which has been put up for rent after sitting empty for more than a year.

The Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre, which the Elephant forms part of, shut in February 2020 after councillors agreed it was an “ageing facility that is no longer fit for purpose”.

Following closure, Coventry City Council agreed an exclusivity agreement with Rainier Developments to draw up plans for the landmark site.

More than a year on it remains empty, but the two buildings have now gone on the market, with the site advertised by real estate firm Avison Young this month.

Senior cabinet member Cllr Jim O’Boyle was tight-lipped on what the council’s ideal plan is for the buildings, but said: “Everyone has a million ideas about what you could do with it.

“I think Rainier are a fantastic organisation. If anybody can find a purpose for it they will and until that happens there is no point in speculating.”

Cllr O’Boyle, the city’s cabinet member for jobs and regeneration, has previously brushed off suggestions the site could be demolished amid a petition last year to ‘save it’ and turn it into an arts venue with a rooftop bar.

He said going out to market with a rental opportunity was “always part of the plan”.

He added: “It closed down because it was no longer fit for purpose. We are trying to find a re-purposing and will see what interest comes from it. Rainer have some good people on it and we will see what comes back. If anyone will find a use for it they will.”

Advertisements for the property state interested parties have an “opportunity to actively inform redevelopment works ongoing to return buildings to lettable condition”.

It adds the two buildings can be “let together or separately” and that offers were being considered on either basis.

The main swimming pool hall has a total floor space of around 121,268 sqft, while the Elephant building offers a total floor space of around 63,799 sqft.

Empty Elephant building is costing Coventry taxpayers staggering £400,000 a year

Coventry taxpayers are forking out £400,000-a-year while the city’s Elephant building remains empty, it has been admitted.

The Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre, which the Elephant forms part of, shut in February 2020 after it was deemed “no longer fit for purpose”.

Although an ‘exclusivity agreement’ has been struck between the council and developer Rainier Developments to draw up new plans, it has sat empty ever since.

The site eventually appeared on the rental market open to expressions of interest this month, however figures obtained by BBC CWR have now found it has cost taxpayers £400,000-a-year just to keep it mothballed.

Cabinet member responsible Cllr Jim O’Boyle has insisted there is “no rush” to resolve its future despite the cost, however critics have questioned whether it is a bill taxpayers will foot for “years to come”.

“It is true there is an ongoing cost in order to keep those premises free from vandalism and safe,” cabinet member for jobs and regeneration Cllr O’Boyle told full council on Tuesday, June 22.

“Yes there is an ongoing cost and officers advise that is to the tune of £400,000, not something we’re particularly keen to spend but in order to make proper the decision carried out by the council its right that we go to market as indeed Rainier are doing at the moment to get expressions of interest.”

When further questioned by the opposition Conservatives on his previous comments that there was ‘no rush’ to find a use for the site, he added: “I am not going to rush a decision on this until we have done the work properly. That would be ill-advised and not in the best interest both of the local authority but more importantly not in the interests of the taxpayer.

“Whilst at the moment it is frustrating, I think it is worth doing that work and proper full due-diligence in getting an opportunity to then bring forward potential opportunities in the near future.”

Speaking after the meeting, he said: “It is quite astounding that the cabinet member considers there to be ‘no rush’ to find a future use for the Elephant, and attached swimming baths building, in light of the current £400,000 bill to keep the building empty.

“Following comments made by the cabinet member in full council the future of the building appears extremely uncertain with council taxpayers likely to be footing the bill for some years to come.”

Two of Coventry's most iconic buildings up for sale

Two of Coventry's most iconic buildings are up for sale. Both The Elephant and Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre have been listed by Avison Young Limited as on the market.

The old leisure centre closed its doors in February 2020, having been deemed "no longer fit for purpose" and was made increasingly redundant by the opening of The Wave waterpark. Coventry taxpayers had been paying £400,000 in order to keep the building mothballed.

Coventry City Council’s cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change told a full council meeting in June last year it was a price worth paying. Previously an exclusivity agreement had been agreed between Coventry City Council and Ranier Developments to find a new purpose for the building.

Although no plans for the future of the building have been announced, Ranier Developments have previously told CoventryLive that there are interested parties and discussions continue. The asking price for the huge development is currently listed as POA - price on application.

On its website it says: "Avison Young are delighted to bring to the market this property comprising two large iconic buildings in the centre of Coventry. The property comprises two large linked buildings. The parts of the Main Pool Hall being offered to let comprise a total floor space of around 121,268 sq ft and the Elephant building offers a total floor space of around 63,799 sq ft."

The listing on Rightmove is as follows: "An excellent opportunity to lease or buy one or two of Coventry's iconic leisure venues. The first is the Main Pool Hall of the former Coventry Central Baths

"It is proposed that the pool voids be filled to provide a large, open and flexible floor area overlooked by the refurbished northern seating terraces to create a modern and flexible auditorium, suited to a range of uses. The dry sports centre which has become somewhat of an architectural icon, affectionately known as 'The Elephant' opened in 1975, as an addition to the swimming baths.

"Set over three floors, it currently houses a bowls hall, large multi-use sports hall with sprung floor, smaller sports hall and three squash courts. A separate new feature access is planned for 'The Elephant' which is currently accessed through the main swimming baths entrance."

Taxpayers forced to fork out more than £900,000 for empty Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre



Coventry taxpayers have forked out over £900,000 to maintain Coventry Central Baths and the Elephant, new figures have revealed. Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre shut to the public three years ago after it was deemed 'no longer fit for purpose.'

A Freedom of Information request has now uncovered the huge cost of maintaining the buildings on Fairfax Street. Taxpayers have spent an astonishing £912,955 since the leisure complex closed in February 2020.

A breakdown of the figures revealed that utility costs totalled £353,875, although Cllr O'Boyle said they mostly related to 'standing charges.' A further £95,254 has been used to maintain the building while security arrangements have amounted to £463,826.

Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change Cllr Jim O'Boyle said the building has remained empty for a prolonged period of time because of an exclusivity agreement with Rainer Development Ltd. He said the process of finding another operator was then pushed back due to Covid.

Cllr O'Boyle said Coventry City Council have now found an operator and they will be seeking authority to move the transaction forward later this year. He said: “It has always been my ambition to find a new credible user for the building.

“This is now happening I am glad to say in spite of the hangover of the pandemic which stopped this and other things in the world in their tracks. I have maintained we would always do this and we are.

“The alternative would be to seek demolition which is something we have never done and would cost a lot more because of the listing and would not necessarily happen in any event. And we would lose potential income and a venue for local people deriving from a significant investment from the private sector. So my action and ongoing work are a win-win for Coventry people and the Coventry economy.”

Conservatives Cllr Ryan Simpson called on the local council to 'step up' and develop a vision for the empty buildings on Fairfax Street. He wrote on Facebook: “When Labour Cabinet Member Cllr O'Boyle said he was in 'no rush' to redevelop the site, he set us on a trend to waste precious public resources. I'm calling on the council to step up, talk to partners in the city and develop a vision for the site so that we can stop this drain on the city's budget.”

Campaigner for Sherbourne Stephen Smith said on Facebook: “While the building is Grade II listed, redevelopments like Battersea Power Station have shown how new life can be breathed into historic buildings whilst maintaining their architectural integrity. To me, this Labour Council has no vision and I believe we should be talking to as many partners as possible to make the best use of this prime city centre space instead of it remaining a burden on the Coventry taxpayer.”

Olympic-sized pool faces demolition, council says



The site of Coventry's Olympic-sized swimming pool that has been shut for five years is facing demolition.

The Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre has been empty since it closed in 2020, costing the council around £400,000 a year to mothball and secure.

Five years of marketing efforts have failed to attract a buyer for the Grade II-listed Fairfax Street site, known locally since it opened in the 1960s as "Cov Baths".

Now, Coventry City Council has confirmed it will apply for permission to demolish the part of the building housing the 50-metre pool, while the extension known as "The Elephant", because of its shape, will be unaffected.

The council's decision comes after a petition was launched in July calling for "The Elephant" to re-open as a leisure centre that was signed by more than 700 people.

"We need to make a decision really about what we can do with [the pool]," O'Boyle said.

"If nobody wants to use it, if nobody wants to own it, if it's no longer fit for purpose, then I think the time has come for us to make that decision about maybe bringing it down."

He said he expected an application for demolition to be submitted "in the next few months".

Despite the building being Grade II-listed, O'Boyle insists the council has "worked with Historic England" and "explored every single avenue of use". Historic England has been approached for comment.

The council granted an exclusivity agreement to Ranier Developments to attract a developer after 2020's closure.

In 2023, the firm told the BBC it had a buyer lined up and hoped to begin work in 2024 – but the council said the deal fell through because of the costs involved with converting the listed building.

Cov Baths demolition approved by Historic England



Historic England will not stand in the way of Coventry's Grade II listed Olympic-sized swimming pool building being demolished.

But the organisation, responsible for deciding which buildings should be protected with listed status, said whatever replaced it should "preserve or enhance the setting of Coventry Cathedral".

The BBC revealed on Tuesday that Coventry City Council plans to bring forward demolition plans before the end of the year for the city centre swimming pool section of the former Coventry Sports and Leisure Centre site, known locally as "Cov Baths", amid spiralling costs.

A Historic England spokesperson said: "Historic England is not minded to object to the demolition of the Central Baths, given its condition, the nature and cost of remedial works and the absence of viable proposals to secure its future."

The organisation said there appeared to be "no realistic prospect of viable reuse for the building due to the substantial ongoing costs of security and maintenance".

They added whatever replaced the 1966 building "should strive to equal the civic ambition displayed in the Central Baths when they first opened."

The demolition plans will not affect the adjoining leisure centre section of the building, known locally as the "The Elephant".

The council is still optimistic of finding a new occupier for that site, which was recently the subject of a petition to bring it back into use.

The council owns the building and granted an exclusivity agreement to Rainier Developments to attract a developer after the leisure centre's 2020 closure. But five years of marketing efforts have failed to attract a buyer.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle, Labour cabinet member for regeneration at Coventry City Council, told the BBC he would be sad to see the building go, but he felt it was time with £400,000 a year being spent on mothballing and security costs for the site.

He said: "Nobody wanted this to happen, it's with a heavy heart. I'm a Coventrian, I've used the building many, many times, I've got great memories of it and I feel very sad that we've come to this decision.

"But we have to come to this decision in the best interests of the city and the best interests of the taxpayers."