Harrogate Borough Council has confirmed that Ripon Spa Baths will reopen to the public on May 14.
The council posted on its Twitter account that the pool would be open for lane swimming and family sessions two weeks today.
It said the sessions must be pre-booked and can only be 45 minutes long.
Earlier this month, Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, had said he hoped to open Ripon Spa Baths and Starbeck Baths in May.
Neither pool reopened on April 12, when covid regulations allowed. The council said this was due to staff shortages and difficulties around social distancing.
Its other pools, including the Harrogate Hydro and Nidderdale Pool, reopened this month. Knaresborough Pool remains closed for urgent repairs.
Ripon city councillors had campaigned for Ripon Spa Baths to be saved after ‘for sale’ boards went up in March and questions were raised over the future of Starbeck Baths when it remained closed.
Cllr Lumley has previously said Starbeck’s pool would be opened “very soon after” Ripon Spa Baths, but the council is yet to confirm a date.
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Council hopes to reopen Ripon and Starbeck Baths next month
A senior Harrogate councillor says he hopes Ripon and Starbeck Baths will reopen next month.
Councillor Stanley Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport at Harrogate Borough, said the swimming pools were currently closed despite a government go-ahead to reopen because of staffing shortages and “challenges” around social distancing.
He added the council is “hoping” they can reopen in May, although Knaresborough Pool will stay shut due to maintenance problems.
“We are hoping to open Ripon Pool in May and providing we have got staff availability, very soon after that we will be opening Starbeck,” he told a meeting last night.
“Staff shortages are a problem – there was no point recruiting stuff during the pandemic for obvious reasons and now we are on a campaign to recruit.
“We do hope to open the pools as soon as possible… providing nothing changes with government guidelines or we have any serious staffing shortages.”
Under the government’s roadmap out of lockdown, swimming pools and gyms were allowed to reopen on 12 April when the Hydro in Harrogate and Nidderdale Pool in Pateley Bridge welcomed back customers.
Knaresborough Pool has been closed since the end of last year and will remain shut longer as repairs due to be carried out by specialist engineers from Spain have been halted by travel restrictions, the council previously said.
It said there is an “ongoing” issue with the pool filter and that it was trying to find a UK-based firm to fix the problem.
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It comes as the council is pushing ahead with plans to demolish Knaresborough Pool and build a replacement leisure centre at the same site, while a major refurbishment of Ripon Leisure Centre is due for completion “before the end of the year,” councillor Lumley said.
After construction delays, the “multi-million pound” Ripon project had previously been scheduled for completion in November, and the final costs are not yet known.
The upgrades are being carried out as a replacement for the 116-year-old Ripon Spa Baths which has been put up for sale for an undisclosed sum.
The move has been met with opposition from residents and councillors, with councillor Pauline McHardy last night making calls for the sale to be withdrawn while work on the city’s regeneration masterplan is underway.
“This is a golden opportunity for Ripon to try to maintain and hold onto the swimming pool site to be used as something else,
“It’s no good us trying to come up with ideas of what it can be used for if you are going to sell it from right under our noses.”
Councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader and cabinet member for resources, enterprise and economic development, responded:
£34,000: the cost of heating closed Ripon pool“This council several years ago made a commitment to spend considerable sums of money in investing in leisure facilities in Ripon.
“We have to fund that and one of the investments we have made very clear now for several years is the sale of the current swimming pool.
“It will definitely be available for commercial use or for bidding for public use. The Ripon Renewal Project is full steam ahead and all ideas are extremely welcome.”
Harrogate Borough Council has spent £34,000 heating Ripon Spa Baths since it closed in March last year, the Stray Ferret has discovered.
The pool is one of three in the Harrogate district, along with Knaresborough and Starbeck, to remain closed after leisure facilities were allowed to reopen on Monday.
The council has now disclosed the cost of keeping the water warm and the plant in operational condition during the last year of closure to Andrew Williams, the leader of Ripon City Council.
Councillor Williams said it would be “council taxpayer money down the drain if the baths are not reopened” immediately.
Ripon’s new pool was due to open this summer but construction will not be complete until November.
He said:
“Construction of Ripon’s new pool will not be complete until November.
“The swimming pools at Knaresborough and Starbeck are closed and travel to Harrogate Hydro and the Nidderdale pool in Pateley Bridge is not advisable, as the government still urges us to stay as local as possible.
“Taking all of these factors into consideration, I find it hard to believe that Harrogate Borough Council cannot find the personnel needed for Spa Baths to reopen straight away.
“They must tell the citizens of Ripon – particularly young people who have had months of no leisure activity during lockdown – exactly when they can go swimming again.”
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The Grade II Listed Spa Baths was deemed ‘surplus to requirements’ in February and put on the market.
Cllr Williams, the Mayor of Ripon Councillor Eamon Parkin and representatives of Ripon Civic Society, found the pool in operational condition last month when they were shown around the building by selling agents Sanderson Weatherall.
This prompted the senior councillors, along with other city councillors, to call for reopening from 12 April, when lockdown restrictions were lifted.
But that date has passed and the pool remains closed.
A spokeswoman for Harrogate Borough Council said reopening Spa Baths when lockdown restrictions changed on Monday was not possible because sport and leisure staff have been redeployed to other services.
The spokeswoman added:
“We have kept the pool at Ripon Spa Baths heated because we have been using it for staff training while the building was closed to the public.
“All systems which keep the pool functioning have been set to the lowest level.
“It is far more cost-effective to maintain a minimum heat in the water than allow it to cool completely and then have to reheat it to the required temperature.
“Pool water which retains some heat and continues to circulate through the filtration system, albeit slowly, will also prevent damage to the infrastructure and algae build-up.
“Heating also protects the fabric of the building from condensation and decay.
“We look forward to welcoming back swimmers as soon as we can.”
Heat is on to reopen Ripon’s Spa Baths
The Mayor of Ripon and city council leader are demanding the reopening of Spa Baths.
With the completion date for Ripon’s new swimming pool delayed until November, councillors Eamon Parkin and Andrew Williams, are leading the call.
They visited the Grade II listed building with members of Ripon Civic Society on Friday and discovered the pool full of warm water and the heating on.
Councillor Parkin told the Stray Ferret:
“Though the building has been closed for more than a year because of the covid pandemic, it appeared to be in good shape.
“I can see no reason why it shouldn’t be back open from 12 April, along with other pools in the Harrogate district.”
Ripon is set to be without a swimming pool until November.
He added:
“Heaven knows how much it has cost to keep the heating on while the baths have been closed to the public.
“It is clear from what we saw, that council tax payers have been paying for a facility they have been unable to use.
“The pool needs to be back open from the moment that the lockdown on leisure facilities lifts.”
They were shown around by an agent from Sanderson Weatherall, which has been appointed by Harrogate Borough Council to handle the disposal of the property.
The fact-finding visit was arranged after Ripon City Council voted unanimously to keep the building in public ownership for community use.
Cllr Williams said:
“We turned up wearing our coats expecting to see the pool drained, but were surprised to find it in an operational condition.
“In some respects it was quite shocking – the heat was stifling.
“We were also surprised to discover from the agent that there is no set asking price or a guide price for the building.”
Asked about a potential reopening of Spa Baths, Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:
“That has still to be decided.”
Cllr Lumley confirmed the Hydro swimming pool in Harrogate and Nidderdale Pool in Pateley Bridge will be reopening in April.
To comply with social distancing requirements, both will have a limited number of users.
He added:
“We are getting to a position with the roadmap, that enables us to reopen facilities, but we are limited to what we can open.”
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The initial focus will be on the reopening of the Hydro and Nidderdale pools.
Cllr Lumley said:
“We have to look on the other pools with more consideration and we can’t give a yes or no on Spa Baths at the moment.
“Decisions are being made on a weekly, if not daily basis.”
‘We need urgent action to safeguard Ripon Spa Baths’
Ripon City Council has vowed to do everything within its power to keep Ripon Spa Baths as a community asset for public use.
Councillors agreed unanimously last night on the need for urgent action to prevent the Grade II listed building from being sold for residential development.
They rallied to a call from council leader Andrew Williams, who said:
“We cannot let Harrogate Borough Council sell the spa baths from under our noses.”
Councillor Mike Chambers, who sits on both Ripon City Council and Harrogate Borough Council, representing Ripon Spa, said:
“We need to get this sorted now.”
Cllr Chambers, who is Harrogate Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Safer Communities, added:
“It is clear that Harrogate Borough Council wants a capital receipt for this building and we must approach them and find out exactly what they have planned.”
On the market – Ripon Spa Baths.
Councillor Pauline McHardy said:
“Harrogate is trying to rush a sale through. We need to have detailed consultation and time to consider the future use of this asset that belongs to the city.”
A motion put forward by Cllr Williams, calling on Harrogate Borough Council to ensure the spa complex remains in public use as a community facility, was supported by all members.
It was also agreed to arrange a meeting with Ripon Civic Society and all other interested parties to investigate options.
If deemed necessary, after that meeting, the city council will look to appoint specialist consultants to advise on the development of heritage assets for community use.
Cllr Williams said:
“This is important in a growing city, which will see more than 1,700 new homes being built in future years.
“We can’t afford to see the loss of community facilities, with developments such as Clotherholme coming on stream.”
Ripon Civic Society has already stated that it favours development Spa complex for the NHS – in line with the neighbourhood plan for the city.
Councillor Stephen Craggs believes that the building should be developed as a facility for young people in Ripon. He said:
“This is a once in a generation opportunity and we must get it right.”
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For sale signs are already in place at the spa baths.
A statement issued by Harrogate Borough Council said the building is being replaced with a new six-lane swimming pool as part of an extended and refurbished Ripon Leisure Centre.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said:
“Ripon Spa Baths has served the community well over the years.
“The future sale, and redevelopment of the listed building, would allow this local asset to be redeveloped (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”
Ripon Spa Baths up for sale amid housing fears
Harrogate Borough Council has officially put 116-year-old Ripon Spa Baths up for sale despite fears it could be turned into housing.
The Grade II listed building has gone on the market in advance of a new £10.2 million Ripon Leisure Centre opening this year.
Commercial property agents Sanderson Weatherall has advertised the baths for an undisclosed price.
The sale document includes a quote from the council’s planning department saying the property could be suitable for “low density residential use” or “community uses”.
Read more:
- Civic Society backs NHS use for Ripon Spa Baths
- Ripon councillors unite to fight sale of city’s Spa Baths
Ripon City Council passed a motion this month to prevent Harrogate Borough Council selling the baths to a private developer for residential or other redevelopment.
The sale has angered city councillors, who say the borough council did not consult with them.
Ripon Civic Society also called on the borough council to consider how the building could be used to improve health provision in the city.
Harrogate Borough Council declined to comment when the Stray Ferret asked how much it hoped to raise from the sale.
A spokesman previously said:
“Ripon Spa Baths has served the community well over the years and is now being replaced by a modern, state-of-the-art pool at Ripon Leisure Centre, following significant investment by the borough council.
“This new six-lane 25-metre pool will offer 70 per cent more water space, extensive changing facilities, bicycle and car parking and complements the extensively improved leisure centre.
“The future sale, and redevelopment of the listed building, would allow this local asset to be redeveloped (subject to planning approval), retain key features and remain as a city landmark.”
History of Ripon Spa Baths
The original complex, located next to the Spa Gardens, has the distinction of being the last spa to open in England.
It also became the only spa granted a royal opening when Princess Henry of Battenberg carried out the ceremony in October 1905.
A reconfiguration of the building in 1936, saw the complex converted into the city’s first public swimming pool.
Ornate stained glass windows and other architectural features remain to this day.