Funding boost secured for Birmingham regeneration project

The transformation of Moseley Road Baths and Balsall Heath library in Birmingham has received a major boost with the allocation of £15.5m of Levelling-Up funding.

The funding will enable the first phase of plans to transform the Grade II listed baths and library.

The Baths were saved from closure thanks to local campaigning, and it now hosts a popular programme of swimming and wellbeing activities run by the community.

The Levelling Up grant will be used to fund capital works to the baths and library, which the Council hopes will provide a catalyst for further investment in the buildings and the wider Balsall Heath area.

Initial works on the baths include essential repairs to the building fabric to prevent further decline and restoration of some of the historic interiors, alongside installation of lifts to the upper floors so that more of the building can be accessed.

There will also be major improvements to the library, including a physical connection to the baths to help boost the range of facilities offered by the buildings.

In addition to the Levelling-Up grant, funding will be made available from Historic England, Birmingham City Council and World Monuments Fund to initiate a 2.5-year programme of capital restoration.

Cllr Paulette Hamilton, Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care, said: ‘I’m so pleased the project has received this vital funding which will secure the investments already made and fund much-needed work to the baths. The project has always been about so much more than the building though; it supports Balsall Heath community with people at its heart – run for and by local people, but open to the world.

‘This news changes everything for us,” added Karen Leach Chair of Moseley Road Baths CIO. “It has been such a challenge operating swimming within this amazing but crumbling building with its leaky roofs and antiquated boilers and filters. Suddenly the restoration we’ve collectively been working towards is becoming a reality. Not only does this mean a future for swimming but also for the baths’ and the library’s crucial role in creating livelihoods in the heart of Balsall Heath.’

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP