£4m conversion of old baths for digital age complete

THE £4m refurbishment and conversion of  Grade II-listed swimming pool into a creative, digital and media hub in Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester has been completed.

Manchester-based property developer PlaceFirst and Tameside Council, backed by £1m from the European Regional Development Fundand £1.712m Heritage Lottery Fund have finished the project at Ashton Old Baths.

Ashton Old Baths, an iconic Greater Manchester landmark, has sat empty for over 40 years until PlaceFirst Ltd acquired the building in 2014, and is now set to become home to a the hub, offering flexible office accommodation and SME incubator services.

Project leaders say that behind the restored exterior of the baths there is now is one of the most ground breaking and visually stunning commercial office spaces in the country.

A self-contained, free-standing office ‘pod’ offers over 6,000sq ft of flexible office space over four floors, complimented by 4,000sq ft of meeting rooms, breakout spaces, and a new rooftop terrace.

The new structure has been designed to minimise physical impacts on the building structure, and to preserve the spatial quality of the main bathing hall, one of the largest in the country and second largest in Europe when the baths opened in 1870.

David Smith-Milne, managing director of PlaceFirst, said: “The transformation of Ashton (Old) Baths from derelict landmark to 21st century workspace has been an amazing journey for all involved.

“Considering we only bought the building just under two years ago, to get such an innovative solution on programme and within budget is testament to the passion and commitment of everyone who has worked on the project.

“This includes the Council who have been a huge support throughout the project and the contractor, HH Smith, who worked superbly under demanding conditions.”

On Saturday (March 19) Ashton (Old) Baths hosts a public event to celebrate the recently completed renovation, starting at 7.30pm.