Coventry Society has objected to the proposal for listed building consent to demolish the Swimming Baths.
This is in keeping with the Society’s policy statement which was agreed in autumn 2025. In it, we expressed disappointment that the grade two building was likely to be demolished. We appreciated, nevertheless, that the cost of maintaining and securing both the swimming baths and the elephant building was a major concern for the Council in a period of financial stringency.
We, therefore urged that any application for listed building consent for demolition of the swimming baths must address four issues:
- A detailed and thorough report demonstrating that there is no alternative viable use for the swimming baths
- A clear statement on the long-term use of the elephant building
- A comprehensive study on the proposed future use of the site and or the swimming baths building that rules out purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA)
- A statement on how the redevelopment and reuse of the swimming baths site will take account of its sensitive location adjacent to the Cathedral Quarter.
Unfortunately, the listed building application and its supporting documents fail to adequately address these points.
In our autumn 2025 statement, we concluded that
“We demand that a high-quality proposal for the future use of the Swimming Baths site is brought forward so that Coventry and its citizens can be proud of the development in future decades. In the words of Historic England, it should strive to “equal the civic ambition displayed in the Central Baths when they first opened”.
As there was no high quality proposal and with little likelihood of one appearing in the near future, we have urged Planning Committee to reject the application for listed building consent for the demolition of the swimming baths.
However, the big issue is what happens to the Swimming Baths and the Elephant as well as the surrounding area!
We need bold and imaginative ideas that can be delivered. A starting point which the Council and its partners should have considered in the last five years and could still take forward is launching an architectural and urban design competition. This would generate lots of possibilities.
There is no shortage of opportunities. These include:
- Opening up the River Sherborne which runs under Fairfax Street
- This is already happening at Palmer Lane. Also we were inspired when we visited Sheffield last July and witnessed the work of the Sheaf and Porter Rivers Trust in opening up the rivers running under the city centre
- Thinking outside the box of demolition versus retention – for example:
- One of the four reasons for the listing of the Swimming Baths as grade 2 is “it is a striking winged design that utilises an unusual longitudinal plan…” – so why not consider partial retention?
- Memories
- Many generations of Coventrians have fond memories of the Swimming Bath (and the Elephant) so what about a focus on this?
- New model for regenerating the city centre
- An alternative model to often delayed large-scale redevelopment (such as City Centre South and Friargate) with a focus on a diverse range of small scale temporary uses and open spaces.
- Green city
- Much is made of the city’s green credentials so why not make the buildings and the site an exemplar of best practice?
Most importantly, the focus must be on what the people of Coventry would like to see rather than relying on what is profitable for multi-national institutional investors through the Council’s investment zones.