The grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the restoration of Moseley Road Baths Gala Pool in Birmingham, which closed a decade ago, will ensure its future as one of only a handful of Grade II-listed swimming baths operating in the UK.<\/p>\n
The Gala Pool forms part of the second phase of the Moseley Road redevelopment in Balsall Heath, a deprived part of inner Birmingham. Other elements include a new wellbeing hub, gym and studio space. <\/p>\n
Phase 1, which started in September 2025, is focused on the restoration of roofs and making the building watertight, as well as the restoration of Balsall Heath Library. <\/p>\n
The award Heritage Fund award completes a \u00a316 million funding package for Phase 2 that also saw major support from Birmingham City Council (\u00a35.1 million).<\/p>\n
Another \u00a3970,000 of funding for Phase 2 came from the West Midlands Combined Authority\u2019s public sector decarbonistation fund. There was also funding of \u00a3250,000 from the Architectural Heritage Fund.<\/p>\n
The buildings, which previously ran on gas, will be powered by air source heat pumps. <\/p>\n
The new library will be completed in six months, while the gala pool is set to open in 2028. A second pool is being turned into a venue space, which will generate income for the site. <\/p>\n
Matthew Vaughan, practice director, at Donald Insall Associates, said the pool has had to be relined to make it shallower and safe for people learning to swim: \u2018Everyone in the area says they learnt to swim at Moseley Road Baths and the irony is it wasn\u2019t actually safe to.<\/p>\n
\u2018That will now change with the minimum depth of the pool falling from 1.8m to 0.9m in a pool that will be 23.5m long.\u2019<\/p>\n
He added: \u2018It\u2019s a really exciting project \u2013 a retrofit of two buildings and a complete decarbonisation.<\/p>\n
\u2018It\u2019s such a well-loved community pool. It\u2019s very rare these things happen and it\u2019s in one of the most deprived wards in the country, so it\u2019s really a good news story.\u2019<\/p>\n
Local campaigners welcomed the news: \u2018For more than two decades our community has fought to keep Moseley Road Baths open and to secure its future,\u2019 said Joe Holyoak, chair of Friends of Moseley Road Baths.<\/p>\n
\u2018We will swim in the Gala Pool again and this magnificent building will be a home for our community for generations to come.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u2018Moseley Road Baths is one of the most outstanding historic pools in the UK,\u2019 said Liz Bates, director for England, Midlands & East at the National Lottery Heritage Fund. \u2018We are pleased to bring its iconic Gala Pool back into public use and create a community health and wellbeing hub at its heart.\u2019<\/p>\n
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