Ripon-based investment and development company Sterne Properties is in the process of acquiring the city’s historic Spa Baths from Harrogate Borough Council for an undisclosed sum.

In an exclusive interview with the Stray Ferret, company director Robert Sterne, said:

“It is our intention to restore the Grade II listed building to its former glory, when it was the centrepiece of the city’s spa quarter.

“Turning the clock back to 1905, it started life as a leisure and hospitality attraction, designed exclusively for the richer members of society, but our proposed hospitality-based regeneration of the building will make it fit for the modern world and open to all.

“Through a painstaking and detailed refurbishment, working closely with architect Andrew Burningham of AB Architecture, the spa complex will be returned to its days of Edwardian elegance.”

Sterne Properties has ambitious plans to refurbish the Grade II listed building.

Ornate and classical features, originally designed to attract well-heeled Edwardians to take spa treatments, will be seen once more in their full splendour and will be accessible to the people of Ripon and visitors to the city.

With its expertise in developing buildings for the city’s leisure, hospitality and retail sectors – including Curzon Cinema, Claro Lounge and Halls of Ripon – Sterne Properties feels well-equipped to take on the challenge of Spa Baths’ renaissance.

Mr Sterne said:

“We have had success in returning redundant properties such as the former NatWest Bank building next to Ripon Town Hall and an empty furniture store on North Street, into destinations that add value to the city’s offer.

“At this stage, we are considering a number of different community-focused uses.

“The initial planning application that we have lodged with Harrogate Borough Council, in the run up to completion of our acquisition of the building, is for a careful ‘strip back’ which will reveal design features that have been either covered up or out of sight since the 1930s, when the spa was re-purposed to accommodate a public swimming pool. “

Mr Sterne added:

“Our thinking is guided by knowledge of Ripon’s people who, like myself, learnt to swim at Spa Baths and see it, with affection, as part of their own and the city’s heritage.

“We believe that by working alongside all interested parties, including the city council and civic society, we can, subject to all relevant planning permissions, deliver an enhanced community asset, with new features, such as a conservatory, that we can all enjoy and take pride in.”

Martin Sterne, who set up the family-run property business in 1990s, added:

“We aim to make our mark on our home city by investing in it and creating developments that leave a lasting legacy.”

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Helen Tabor swam at Ripon’s Spa Baths for the last time on the morning of November 7, 2021.

For her, it was the end of an era dating back 40 years to her pre-teenage years, when she first swam in the ornate surroundings of the former Spa.

Early riser Helen, whose son Jamie was among tens of thousands of children taught to swim in the Edwardian building by Sylvia Grice, told the Stray Ferret:

“This place is very special to me, because it was part of my life, from the age of 12.”

She added:

“For me, it was always more than a swimming pool and became a place of reflection, relaxation and regeneration, as I swam alongside fellow early morning swimmers and did my 40 lengths.”

For Helen, it was not the last time that she was allowed into the Grade II listed building – once centrepiece of the Ripon Spa Quarter.

She was given permission to return with her camera to to take the photographs that now appear in her 32-page picture book, which has been produced in a limited edition first print of 150 copies.

The History of Ripon Spa and baths

The Spa, was opened in 1905 by the city fathers, in a bid to bring wealthy visitors to the city and support the local economy, but up against nearby Harrogate, with its established spa reputation and patronage from the royal houses of Europe, Ripon failed to gain a foothold.

As the last Spa in England to open, Ripon had missed the boat, even with the distinction of being the only one to be granted a Royal Opening, carried out on October 24, 1905, by Princess Henry of Battenburg – Beatrice, the youngest child of Queen Victoria.

In the 1930s, the Municipal Borough of Ripon took the decision to reconfigure the spa building and create the city’s first indoor public swimming pool, which opened in 1936.

Ripon Spa Baths is set to be sold to a commercial developer after a bid to retain the building for community use failed.

Harrogate Borough Council, which has owned the Edwardian building since the reorganisation of local government in 1974, has confirmed that it intends to sell the Park Street property to the unnamed commercial bidder.

Ripon City Council successfully applied for for the building to be listed as an asset of community value in September. This meant it had six months to raise the finance to purchase the building to keep it in commercial use. But time has now run out.

The city council also called this month for the ownership of the Grade II listed building, which was used as a swimming pool until it closed in November, to be transferred back to Ripon without charge when Harrogate Borough Council is abolished next year.

Ripon councillors argued that Spa Baths and other city assets, including the town hall, Hugh Ripley Hall, Market Square, Spa Gardens and Spa Park, should be handed back for free by Harrogate Borough Council as it had not paid a penny for them.

The building is recognised as a key heritage asset by Ripon Civic Society

But Harrogate Borough Council’s response to Ripon City Council’s request for the reversion of ownership, seen by the Stray Ferret, confirms the building will be sold to a developer.

Trevor Watson, Harrogate Borough Council’s director of economy and culture said in the email, which has been circulated to all city councillors:

“As you are aware we are selling Ripon Spa Baths because a brand new pool has been built in Ripon and this building is no longer needed.

“Our main objective through this disposal is to ensure that the building continues to be used in future and supports the sustainability of Ripon City Centre. To achieve this objective we have undertaken a comprehensive sales strategy which generated market interest in purchasing the building.

“The preferred bidder can demonstrate the experience, capacity and capability in bringing buildings back into use. In addition the proposed sale to the current preferred bidder will generate a capital receipt.

“The generation of capital receipts for assets that are no longer needed allows significant investment to be made in new assets, such as the new Ripon Pool.”

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“At its meeting on 13 October 2021, Harrogate cabinet have previously agreed to dispose of the building to the preferred bidder.

“As the building is listed as an Asset of Community Value a moratorium period was initiated and implemented where the council has not been able to dispose of the building, now that this period has expired we will execute this decision.

“We believe that this will deliver the best way of ensuring the future, sustainable use of this asset and enable Harrogate Borough Council and North Yorkshire Council to continue to invest in the continuous improvement of Ripon City and its neighbourhoods.”

Ripon City Council is to consider bidding to buy the city’s Spa Baths as part of the campaign to keep the building in community use.

Harrogate Borough Council plans to sell the Grade II listed building when Ripon’s new pool opens at the end of the year.

It has identified an unnamed preferred buyer but last month’s decision to list the 116-year-old building as an asset of community value has put any sale on hold to give the community chance to raise funds to launch a bid.

Ripon City Council is now taking the first steps towards pursuing that option after taking part in an initial meeting with the preferred bidder.

At Monday’s full city council meeting, leader Andrew Williams said:

“We had a constructive discussion with the bidder and will continue to work with them and look at any proposals they have for community uses as part of redevelopment of the site.

“However, to ensure that we keep our options open, following Harrogate Borough Council’s agreement to list the building as an asset of community value, we need to take the process to the next stage.”

Ripon City Council is to request to be treated as a potential bidder.

Councillors agreed to a motion put forward by Cllr Williams to “submit a written request to Harrogate Borough Council to request to be treated as a potential bidder under the provisions of the Localism Act”.

Councillor Stuart Martin, who seconded the motion, was among the councillors who attended the meeting with the preferred bidder. He said:

“We will continue to talk with the bidder, but must take every step to secure Ripon City Council’s position, without putting unnecessary obstacles to further discussions in the way.”

Housing fears

The future of the Edwardian building has been uncertain since owner Harrogate Borough Council put it on the market in February, saying it would be surplus to requirements when Ripon’s new multi-million swimming pool opens.

This sparked fears the baths could be sold for housing.

The campaign to retain it for community use, led by Ripon City Council and Ripon Civic Society, received a boost last month when the building was designated an asset of community value.

The baths were converted from a spa to a public swimming pool in 1936 and has the distinction of being the only English spa to be opened by a member of the royal family.

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Councillors in Ripon are hoping to meet soon with Harrogate Borough Council’s preferred bidder for the city’s Spa Baths.

The future of the Grade II listed building has been uncertain since owner Harrogate Borough Council put it on the market in February, saying it would be surplus to requirements when Ripon’s new multi-million swimming pool opens.

This sparked fears the 116-year-old baths could be sold for housing.

The campaign to retain it for community use, led by Ripon City Council and Ripon Civic Society, received a boost this month when the building was designated an asset of community value.

This gives communities a right to bid to buy the building before it is sold on the open market.

The identity of Harrogate Borough Council’s preferred bidder is being kept under wraps due to commercial confidentiality but city council leader Andrew Williams said he was looking forward to constructive discussions.

Replacing Spa Baths: Ripon’s new swimming pool, which will open this year.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“We met with the borough council last week following our successful application to have the baths listed as an asset of community value.”

“At that meeting, we were told that the preferred bidder intends to include an element of community use as part of wider redevelopment of the site.

“We are keen to find out what that community use would be and if there is a way forward that is acceptable to all involved.”

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The 116-year-old building was converted from a spa to a public swimming pool in 1936 and has the distinction of being the only English spa to be opened by a member of the royal family.

A civic society plaque near the entrance records the fact that Princess Henry of Battenburg performed the opening ceremony in 1905.

Jack Laugher is bidding for further Olympic glory this morning.

A superb series of six dives took him into the men’s individual three-metre springboard final, which can be seen live on BBC TV from 7am.

The former Ripon Grammar School student, whose family home is in Littlethorpe, finished in third position behind China’s XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan in today’s semi-final.

Early-bird television viewers, who tuned in a 2am UK time, saw Laugher score 514.75 points in a stylish and controlled performance at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

It all started here – Spa Baths, Ripon where Jack Laugher was taught to swim at the age of 3 by Sylvia Grice MBE

If he can repeat the highly-disciplined display of diving excellence that he achieved in the semi-final, he has an outstanding opportunity to add to the Gold and Silver medals that saw him make history five years ago.

He and then partner Chris Mears, became the first-ever GB diving medallists, when they fought off a challenge from China to claim Olympic Gold at the Rio 2016 games.

Six days later, Laugher added Silver in the men’s individual springboard event, finishing behind China’s Yuan Cao.

The challenge from the Chinese pair of XIE Siyi and Wang Zongyuan, cannot be under-estimated, but it’s all to play for when the 12 finalists take to the springboard in Tokyo.

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