London,
28
November
2017
|
10:57
Europe/London

Haggerston Baths - Council selects preferred bidder to develop the building

Hackney Council has chosen a preferred bidder to refurbish and redevelop the Haggerston Baths building.

The agreement to lease will allow Castleforge Partners to apply for listed building consent and planning permission for a scheme to incorporate space for businesses, shops and a café, as well as community uses such as a clinic, health centre, day care centre or public hall.

Castleforge was selected after a competitive bidding process and public consultation. 54% of respondents said they supported the Castleforge proposal, compared to just 33% who supported the other shortlisted scheme.

Castleforge will have to cover the cost of the work and then pay the Council rent for an annual lease. This means the Council gets a regular source of income without outlaying millions of pounds up front.

 

Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney
I am particularly happy that designating the pool hall for uses accessible to the community will ensure that Hackney residents will once again have access to this much loved historic building. The scheme will provide a considerable amount of work space – something which is missed in this part of the borough – and we will work with Castleforge to make sure as many jobs as possible are created for local people.

I know that local residents were keen to restore the swimming pool, so the council spent the best part of a year negotiating with a bidder whose proposals included a pool. As I said when we consulted on the shortlist, we could not get the reassurances we needed that the scheme with a pool would actually be delivered.

Before we started this process the Victorian Society named Haggerston Baths as one of the country’s top ten most endangered buildings. I hope this project will guarantee a long-term and self-sustaining future for the building and secure jobs for Hackney residents.
Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney