Bristol: Plans to reopen Jacob's Wells Baths shelved

The public baths closed in the late 1970s

Plans to reopen a Victorian public bath have been abandoned by developers.

Fusion Lifestyle said it was not financially viable to reopen Jacob's Wells Baths in Bristol due to the pandemic and rising costs.

It said the decision was not "reached lightly" but it could no longer proceed after planning to spend millions.

A spokesperson for Bristol City Council (BCC) said it was disappointed by the decision and had taken back possession of the building.

The redevelopment would have seen the site turned back into a public swimming pool for the first time in more than 40 years.

"Contractors are working on site to ensure it remains secure while we consider the options available to us and next steps," the BCC spokesperson said.

"It remains our ambition to see this Grade II Listed building restored and back in active use for the benefit of Bristol," they added.

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The listed building opened in 1889 as a bathhouse for the poor until it closed in the late 1970s.

It was then converted in 1981 into a community managed dance centre, which itself closed in 2016. Fusion Lifestyle took over the building's lease in 2017.

Emma Harvey - chief executive of arts group Trinity Centre which used the building - said the building presented "an opportunity".

'Reimagine the space'

"The area is in need of a civic space and this building was built for the people of Bristol," she told BBC Radio Bristol.

"I think now we have an opportunity as citizens of Bristol to seize this opportunity and reimagine the space," she said.

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