The Government has given approval for the demolition of Coventry Baths.
Coventry Swimming Pool, which are Grade II Listed, was once described as “the finest” in Europe. It is an iconic building from Coventry’s post-war redevelopment period. Both the Twentieth Century Society and Coventry Society objected to the demolition.
Coventry’s Olympic-sized pool and adjoining leisure centre on Fairfax Street has sat empty since it was shut in February 2020 to save money.
Coventry City Council said the Grade II-listed, authority-owned building had “come to its natural end”, amid spiralling maintenance costs.
Steve Reed, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, has now written to the council to grant listed building consent for the demolition.
The adjoining leisure centre, known locally as The Elephant, is not part of the demolition plans.
The consent is valid for three years and is subject to conditions requiring an archaeological investigation and a bat surveys.
Coventry Society objected on the grounds of “insufficient justification” and that the site was in a sensitive location near the Cathedral Quarter.
We asked for a “high-quality proposal” for future use of the site to be brought forward, and for confirmation of the long-term future of the Elephant building.
Two members of the public had also objected, saying the “iconic building” should be repurposed and it was “shameful” the city council had allowed the site to fall into disrepair.
The secretary of state “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”.
Figures obtained by the BBC in August last year revealed almost £2.3m had been spent on the site (including the Elephant Building), including security and insurance charges and BID payments, since it was closed.
In 2025, more than 700 signed a petition calling for the modernisation and reopening of The Elephant as a dedicated indoor sports centre.
Coventry Society is disappointed by the decision. We feel that it is not good practice to approve the demolition of a listed building before its replacement is known. The site could now be developed for another student block.
Tim Brown, Chair of the Coventry Society, said “We must now move on from the debate about demolition to begin a discussion in the city about what happens to the site. It is really disappointing that over the last 6 months the Council has been conspicuous by its silence on this matter.”