A community group has vowed to step up and fight if to protect Starbeck Baths from any planned closure over the coming years.
It follows news this week that the council is preparing to invest in a new leisure centre in Knaresborough and improving the Hydro in Harrogate.
As part of a report to be considered by Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet next week, officers said that with new facilities in nearby towns, “the future of Starbeck Baths would need to be considered”. Reacting to the news, Starbeck Residents’ Association Chairman Geoff Foxhall said:
“It would be a tragedy if the council decided to let go of it, especially as they have invested a quite considerable amount in it in the last few years.
“About ten years ago (when it was under threat), we had resident meetings and committees were formed. It was quite a struggle but we saved it then. Hopefully, we could mobilise the same support again if needed.”
Although the report for HBC’s cabinet looked at the money that could be saved by closing Starbeck Baths, the cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport told The Stray Ferret that closure was not an immediate plan. Cllr Stan Lumley said:
“We can’t commit to it forever and ever, but in the short term there are no intentions of closing Starbeck at all. Once we’ve got everything up and running, a much bigger Hydro and a new facility in Knaresborough – clearly that’s many years down the line – we would have to look at that and how we operate in the future.”
‘Best of both worlds’
The report to the cabinet forms part of a recommendation to transfer the running of leisure centres, along with community centres and the council’s day nursery, to a local authority controlled company (LACC). HBC says it can make significant savings on running costs by doing so, with additional money to be saved and made through investments in the facilities.
Cllr Lumley added:
“We thought it was the best way forward because it keeps us with control but it frees us up and allows us to do things more efficiently and gives us more flexibility with management.
“This is like a partial privatisation. It allows us to benefit from some things that a private company would, but by keeping control of the business. It’s the best of both worlds.”
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Meanwhile, as well as a major refurbishment of the Hydro, HBC is set to look at creating a new gym and swimming pool for Knaresborough. Although it is considering rebuilding on the existing site, the report to the cabinet indicates that a new facility could be built at Conyngham Hall, after considering a site at Hay-a-Park and the grounds of Knaresborough House.
Building at Conyngham Hall would allow both Knaresborough sites to remain open while the Hydro was refurbished, before the old pool on King James’s Road was closed. However, the report acknowledges that rebuilding on the same site would be less expensive than relocating, which it estimates would cost in the region of £13million.
The existing Knaresborough Pool could be replaced with a new leisure centre, either on the same site or somewhere else
Knaresborough Civic Society said it will be looking at any plans for relocation with interest. Secretary Ian Wright said:
“We would certainly be interested in where they are planning to put it. Conyngham Hall is one of our prominent public buildings – Harrogate were refurbishing some of that. We will be keeping a watching brief on it.
“The swimming pool isn’t a historic building. We wouldn’t be too concerned about doing something else with that site. Any concerns would be relating to the Conyngham Hall site and where it would go on there.”
Whichever location is chosen, work on Knaresborough’s new leisure centre would not begin until the completion of the new Ripon pool, replacing the old spa baths. After a short delay because of the coronavirus lockdown, Cllr Lumley said he expects it to open autumn 2021.
