Restoration - The Story
So Far
We
have been working to save Victoria Baths ever since it closed in
1993. Even having won £3.5million through BBC’s Restoration
series, there are many stages which we have to go through before
work can actually start. Here you can see these stages and how we
are progressing.
LATEST NEWS - May 2008
Work finally started
on Restoration Phase 1 in March 2007. The project has progressed
well and we are now in the last few months of the contract. We expect
to be allowed back into the front block of the building in August.
It has taken us a long time to get to this stage and there is still
a long way to go before we can actually use the original facilities
of Victoria Baths - the swimming pool and Turkish Baths. Below is
a summary of the many stages we have had to go through:
Stage 1 The community
campaign
Ever since the building
closed, local people have been campaigning to save Victoria Baths
and return it to public use. The Friends of Victoria Baths and the
Victoria Baths Trust were both established by local residents with
the aim of re-opening at least one of the swimming pools and the
Turkish Baths for everyone to use. You can help support the campaign
to save this building by joining the Friends.
THE CAMPAIGN IS ONGOING
Stage 2 The Restoration win
In SEPTEMBER
2003 Victoria Baths captured the hearts of hundreds
of thousands of people throughout the UK and won the BBC’s
landmark series Restoration. Victoria Baths received a massive 282,018
votes. As a result of the win, the Heritage Lottery Fund earmarked
£3million and the BBC’s Restoration Fund raised nearly
£500,000 for the restoration of the Turkish Baths at Victoria
Baths. Since this time English Heritage have awared a grant of £450,000
towards the first phase of restoration.
For a personal account
of the Restoration Final visit BBC
My Manchester
Stage 3 Project planning work
All through 2004 work
was carried out to prepare for the restoration of Victoria Baths
and in particular the Turkish Baths. A team of 12, led by architects
Austin-Smith:Lord, produced:
• a detailed condition
survey
• a conservation plan
• a measured survey
• Turkish Baths plans
• an enveloping repair scheme
• a cost report
• a market study on the options for the full building
For more details of the
highlighted plans follow the links. THIS
WORK WAS COMPLETED IN 2004.
Stage 4 Approval of plans
Before funding is released
all the plans for Victoria Baths had to be approved by:
• The Heritage Lottery Fund
major funders of the restoration
• English Heritage
who advise on listed building consent
• Manchester City Council
as building owners and the planning authority
• The Restoration Fund
who oversee the Restoration prize money
All these bodies have
contributed to the project planning work. Our plans received the
final approved in SEPTEMBER 2005.
The Victoria Baths Trust
has also consulted with the public on its plans for the building,
at Open Days at the Baths and through this website.
Stage 5 Appointment of design team and contractor
The final design contract
and the building contract for the restoration of Victoria Baths
have to be advertised openly. This is a requirement of the major
funders and ensures that the best value is obtained. The tenders
will be assessed on both quality and price. We will be appointing
the design team in October/November 2005 and the contractor in 2006.
THE
DESIGN TEAM WERE APPOINTED IN FEBRUARY 2006 AND THE CONTRACTOR IN
APRIL 2006
Stage 6 Start of restoration
We expected the restoration
to begin in October 2006.
THE
CONTRACTOR WAS ON SITE CARRYING OUT INVESTIGATIVE AND TRIAL WORK
IN JUNE AND JULY 2006 AND STARTED RESTORATION PHASE 1 ON 19TH MARCH
2007
Stage 7 Full building
scheme
The restoration of the
Turkish Baths must be a successful part of a scheme for the whole
building that is financially sustainable for years to come. Work
is now proceeding to develop plans for the restoration of the full
site at Victoria Baths. We expect this to include a mixture of uses
for different parts of the building. We are advertising for development
partners to work on the overall restoration of the site.
A
SHORT-LIST OF PROSPECTIVE DEVELOPERS WERE INTERVIEWED IN DECEMBER
2006. ARTISAN SHIP CANAL DEVELOPMENTS HAVE BEEN SELECTED TO TAKE
FORWARD THE FULL RESTORATION OF THE BUILDING. THEY ARE CURRENTLY
WORKING ON THEIR PROPOSALS.
Stage 8 Raising the
money and completing the restoration
The overall restoration
of Victoria Baths will cost around £20million. On top of the
£4m which has already been raised, we expect the remainder
of the money to come from both private and public sources. We are
very keen for the public to remain directly involved in the restoration
of Victoria Baths, and its future operation and invite you to join
the Friends, make a donation or become a Restoration
Supporter.
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