A bid to guarantee the future of Carlisle’s Turkish Baths has been rejected by the city council – unless a sustainable business case is put forward to support it.
Councillor Jo Ellis-Williams tabled a motion at a city council meeting last night to retain the James Street Baths for the health and well-being purposes as it was originally intended and look at its future potential and sustainability.
However, an amendment brought by the governing Conservative group changed the wording to make the future of the Turkish Baths dependent on a ‘sustainable business plan that can show its viability’.
Under plans agreed by the council in 2018, the swimming pool will relocate to The Sands Centre next year, leaving the Turkish Baths as a standalone facility.
The Friends of Carlisle Victorian and Turkish Baths Group has asked Carlisle City Council to keep the two small pools in the public baths building in operation so that the Turkish Baths continue to function as part a baths facility built to support public health.
Watching the debate from the public gallery were group members, including retired district nurse Judith Yeates.
She said: “The draft Carlisle Plan makes clear that the health and wellbeing of local residents and visitors is the council’s number one priority.
“Carlisle has a unique facility that could be a key part of the city’s health service.
“Health services aren’t supposed to have ‘viable business plans’, they’re there to support public health.
“It’s hugely disappointing that city councillors could not set aside their political differences and unanimously agree to retaining, promoting and developing the Victorian and Turkish Baths so they continue to support the health and wellbeing of local people for another 112 years.”
The group believes that the best chance of giving the Turkish Baths a long-term sustainable future would be as part of a Health and Wellbeing Centre, similar to a model adopted by the newly refurbished and reopened Newcastle City Baths.
The group’s plans include using one of the small pools for hydrotherapy, creating therapy rooms, a fitness studio and gym, a restaurant and bar, and relocating the main entrance to the back of the Public Baths, to face the station viaduct wall where a new station entrance is to be created as part of the Borderlands Station Gateway Project.
A petition in support of the group’s plans has already been signed by over 1,000 people.
One of 12 similar facilities still operating in the UK, the Grade II listed building on James Street was completed in 1909 and is managed by GLL on behalf of Carlisle City Council.
