1st December 2025
Conclusion: From public documents and reporting, the £20 m from the Capital Levelling Up Fund was earmarked solely for the Marple Community Hub. I found no credible public evidence that other parts of Stockport were formally considered or proposed as alternative recipients of the same grant.
What we know about the old baths
- The baths were built in c. 1907–1908 as part of a civic complex on Gorton Road — along with a library, fire-station, and mortuary. Contentful+2msarchitecture.co.uk+2
- The building complex is locally listed as “Buildings of Local Interest”. Contentful+1
- The swimming baths themselves closed in July 2005. Contentful+228DaysLater Urban Exploring Forums+2
- Since closure, the baths building has remained “mothballed” — i.e. unused but retained by the council pending any future use. Contentful+1
- The rest of the complex has had somewhat different fates: the ground floor of the former fire station is now used as a community centre; the library, fire station, and mortuary are all part of the site listing. Contentful+2msarchitecture.co.uk+2
🔄 What has been proposed for the site
Over the years, there have been proposals and planning guidance produced for what to do with the former baths site:
- A “Planning Brief” from the local council describes the site as a “prominent group of civic buildings” with “significant townscape value.” Any redevelopment should respect their historic/architectural interest. Contentful
- The guidance envisages that the baths building could be converted (rather than demolished), with acceptable future uses including offices/businesses, community services, leisure/assembly, cafés/restaurants, or residential — subject to a sympathetic redevelopment that conserves the character and frontage. Contentful
- Specifically, conversion could include “business” use (e.g. offices), or community-oriented uses or even residential, but any redevelopment must preserve external architectural features (such as the main pool-hall shell, the tall chimney, original entrances, boundary walls, railings, etc.). Contentful
⚠️ What has not happened — and current status
Despite the proposals and planning guidance:
- No recent planning applications appear to have been submitted for redevelopment of the baths building. Contentful+1
- The baths remain closed and unused, and the building is effectively “on hold” until a viable future use is secured. Contentful+1
- According to listings and local history summaries, although there has been some community interest — e.g. calls to reopen the baths — as of now there is no backing from the council for renewed bath/swimming-pool use. Wikipedia+1
🧑💡 What this means for residents / What might happen
- The site remains a heritage-valued group of buildings. That makes demolition unlikely: any proposal would need to conserve the exterior and respect heritage policy. Contentful+1
- It’s possible — in theory — that the baths building could be repurposed for community use, offices, housing or other uses. But that depends on a developer stepping forward with a plan that satisfies the heritage, planning and local-amenity requirements.
- For now, the building remains “on ice.” Given no active redevelopment or re-opening plan, it remains derelict/unused, albeit structurally largely intact (by virtue of being mothballed).
📰 Wider context and comparable cases
- Similar older bath-building redevelopments in the region have sometimes succeeded — for example, older municipal baths elsewhere have been converted into business centres, leisure-related facilities or mixed-use developments (though often after extensive renovation and restoration work). Place North West+2Place North West+2
- The approach prescribed in the 2009 Planning Brief for Reddish — to encourage adaptive reuse rather than demolition — roughly mirrors what’s been done elsewhere. Contentful+2Place North West+2
🎯 Conclusion — What is being done now
Right now, nothing active seems to be happening to change the status of the old baths at North Reddish: the building remains closed and mothballed, with no approved redevelopment plan or funding. The site is still in the hands of the council, under heritage-protection policy, and its future remains uncertain.
