Mayor announces £1m for 'iconic' Moseley Road Baths restoration

Mayor Richard Parker has today announced almost £1m for the restoration of Moseley Road Baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.

The Mayor has approved West Midlands Combined Authority funding to pay for air source heat pumps to be installed so the iconic building will be cheaper to run when it reopens.

Moseley Road Baths has also confirmed phase 2 of its landmark restoration is now fully funded, following a £9,272,950 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

The £16 million funding package will see one of only a handful of Grade II* listed swimming baths in the UK reopen as a thriving community destination for swimming, health, wellbeing, culture and events.

The Heritage Fund grant comes on top of £5.1m from Birmingham City Council - part of a £10 million total commitment to the project - £350,000 from Garfield Weston Foundation, £250,000 from the Architectural Heritage Fund, £50,000 from the Edward Cadbury Trust. and £12,000 from the Saintbury Trust.

The Mayor, who chairs the WMCA, said: “Moseley Road Baths is a real Birmingham icon and it’s now closer than ever to reopening to the public because local people never gave up on it.

"I’m proud to back them with the funding needed to make the baths more sustainable and to keep energy bills down.

“This is the first of many investments I’m making to secure the long-term future of valued public buildings that provide important services to our communities. For Moseley Road Baths, that means keeping the pools warm and the doors open for many more generations of Brummies to enjoy.”

Phase 2 of the restoration will deliver:

Full restoration of the iconic Gala Pool, including a restored mezzanine gallery and a new accessible ground-floor public viewing area

Conversion of Pool 2 into a flexible event space

Transformation of the Women’s Slipper Baths into a community health & wellbeing hub

Reimagining of the Men’s Second Class Slipper Baths as a community gym

Development of the boiler room into a flexible studio space

Phase 2 will follow directly on from Phase 1 works, which commenced in September 2025 and are focused on restoration of the roofs and making the buildings watertight, basement repairs, alongside the full restoration of Balsall Heath Library, including the addition of a new mezzanine level.

Alongside the phase 2 capital works, the project will deliver a creative programme of public engagement. Hard hat tours, activities and events will run across Balsall Heath and the Library throughout construction and in the lead-up to the Baths’ reopening (currently anticipated to be in late 2028), alongside employment and training opportunities for local people.

New accessibility features – Changing Places facilities (poolside and dryside), pool hoist and pod, lift and ramp access, and wheelchair-accessible changing and viewing areas – will mean Moseley Road Baths is, for the first time in its history, welcoming to all.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund supported Activity Plan also includes accessible programming designed to reach diverse audiences, including SEND, LGBTQ+, women-only swims, dementia-friendly swims, para and disability swimming lessons, and sensory swimming.

Creative interpretation, onsite and online, will share the stories of Moseley Road Baths and Balsall Heath. The project will create new jobs, apprenticeships and volunteering opportunities – the first of which to go live will be recruitment for Moseley Road Baths CIO’s first ever CEO.

The Heritage Fund’s grant is one of the most significant heritage awards announced this year, and reflects the national importance of Moseley Road Baths — a building included on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register and on the World Monuments Watch in 2016.

Lucy Reid, chair of Moseley Road Baths CIO, said: “This is a transformational moment for Moseley Road Baths, for Balsall Heath, and for our city.

"Securing the full Phase 2 funding package – and in particular this incredible vote of confidence from The National Lottery Heritage Fund – means that, after years of campaigning by an extraordinary community of staff, volunteers, partners and supporters, and years of hard graft to turn successful campaigning into a plan for the building with a workable business model, we can finally announce, with huge pride, that we will be restoring the magnificent Gala Pool and bringing this remarkable building fully back into public use.

"We are deeply grateful to National Lottery players, our funders, our coalition partners, a bunch of hugely committed willful individuals, and the people of Balsall Heath whose commitment and belief have enabled us to reach this milestone."

Liz Bates, regional director for The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "Moseley Road Baths is one of the most outstanding historic swimming pools in the UK. Thanks to National Lottery players, we are pleased to award £9,272,950 to bring its iconic Gala Pool back into public use and create a community health and wellbeing hub at its heart.

"This is exactly the kind of project National Lottery players make possible — heritage that lives, breathes and serves its communities."

Frank Jordan, executive director of city operations at Birmingham City Council, said: “Moseley Road Baths remains one of Birmingham’s most cherished landmarks and an important part of our city’s heritage as well as holding fond memories for many of our residents.

"Birmingham City Council is proud to have committed £10 million towards the restoration of this historic building and we are delighted to be working alongside a brilliant coalition of partners to bring this Edwardian gem back into use as a vibrant hub for swimming, wellbeing and community life, benefiting residents from across Birmingham.”

Joe Holyoak, chair of the Friends of Moseley Road Baths, said: "For more than two decades, our community has fought to keep Moseley Road Baths open and to secure its future.

"Today’s news is a moment of immense pride. We will swim in the Gala Pool again, and this magnificent building will be a home for our community for generations to come.

"We’re hugely grateful to everyone who has played their part in making this happen, and to the swimmers who supported us along the way.”

The West Midlands Combined Authority's Public Sector Decarbonisation Fund is part of a £167m energy efficiency fund for the region from government to upgrade thousands of homes, council buildings, schools and colleges and other public sector organisations.