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Roof falls in on eve of bath’s £23m refit
Collapse ‘vindicates’ Town Hall decision to close pool
SWIMMERS trying to keep Kentish Town Baths open for as long as possible were dealt a crippling blow on Tuesday when part of the Victorian pool’s roof collapsed.
The Grafton pool has been ruled a safety risk and closed to the public and officials have been unable to confirm whether it will re-open again before they embark on a £22.7 million refurbishment of the building in Prince of Wales Baths.
The centre is due to close in three weeks, the suddenness of which is a point of controversy among swimmers.
Fiona Dean, Camden’s assistant leisure director, said in a council memo that a window pane had fallen from the roof and shattered glass shards across the pool.
She said that the incident vindicated the council over its plans to set a closure deadline of February 25.
Her memo said: “Fortunately the pool was closed at the time and there were no injuries, I can hardly bear to think about what would have happened had we been open with for example a class visit or other use.
“It will be no simple task to re-open the pool, we may well have to consider a complete drain down of the pool water in order to remove all the glass.”
Ms Dean said that repairs – including making the roof safe – could cost around £10,000.
She added: “It is regrettable that this has happened so close to the closure although to my mind it clearly vindicates our decision to close early. A decision will need to be taken on whether it is a justifiable expense given the imminent closure.”
At a public meeting organised by the Caversham Neighbourhood Partnership last week, pool users made it clear that they wanted the baths to stay open until construction contracts had been signed.
Ironically, Liberal Democrat leisure chief Councillor Flick Rea told the meeting that the “roof could fall in tomorrow”, arguing that Camden had to get on with the refurbishment rather than pumping money into patching up the pool.
She said the state of disrepair meant Camden had a duty to close the doors and begin work as soon as possible.
Cllr Rea said: “Given the state of them, it is amazing the baths have been able to go on functioning for as long as they have.”
Dr Ian Dungavell, director of the Victorian Society said: “Kentish Town Baths was last fully refurbished in 1960, when false ceilings and garish tiles were used to create an interior which had little in common with the building’s character.”
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