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Overwhelming public response to Old Buckley Baths call to action

Published: 17/07/2024

Flintshire County Council’s Regeneration Team is seeking public opinion regarding the Old Buckley Baths building.

Currently, the Old Buckley Baths building is in a state of disrepair and its future is in jeopardy. Although the Council does not own the building, their hope is to rally enough public support to develop a project for investment to regenerate the building.

The Regeneration Team has been overwhelmed by the outpouring of public positivity and support for the building, which clearly means a lot to people. To date, 1289 people have completed an online survey, 72% of which are residents of Buckley. 66% of respondents felt that the restoration of the Old Buckley Baths building is very important for Buckley and 203 people have already expressed an interest in being involved in the development of a potential project to redevelop the building.

Having secured funds from the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF) to scope out projects for future investment, the Council’s Regeneration Team has embarked on a collaborative endeavour with Buckley Town Council, to gauge public interest the Old Buckley Baths building.

A short film produced with the funding secured conveys the condition of the building in visual form and the imagery and film footage has featured in the online survey, which has been circulated on social media, to capture local opinion:  www.givemyview.com/oldbuckleybaths

The aim of this endeavour is to bring together a group of singularly focused people to develop a project to draw in investment to redevelop the building.

As part of the overall public engagement activity currently being undertaken, there are two informal drop-in events for anyone who has not already participated in the online survey or wishes to discuss how they could be involved in the development of the Old Buckley Baths building. These events are to be held on:

·        Wednesday 17th July 2024 (6-8pm, Hawkesbury Community Centre, Mill Lane, Buckley)

·        Monday 22nd July 2024 (12-2pm, Buckley Library (museum upstairs), The Precinct, Brunswick Road, Buckley)

In 1927-28, the Buckley Baths were built by the local builders Hayes Bros. at the full cost of £5,000 with funds from the North Wales Miners Federation, whose members from all the neighbouring coal mines paid into a fund at the rate of one old penny per ton of coal extracted. At the time of its opening in 1928, it was a state-of-the-art facility which proved very popular and was a much-valued service. People came from all over the county and people even today remember with great fondness learning to swim at Buckley Baths. The Old Buckley Baths building has been vacant since the closure of the baths in 2005 and although the structural condition of the building is good, there are superficial defects which makes it unsuitable for the members of the public to tour the building. The collaborative efforts of the Regeneration Team and the Town Council has provided visual access to the public in the hope of sparking local interest and action.

Councillor David Healey said: “It is heartening to see the expression of support from local people and how much they value this building and the memories and history it holds. We are rooting for a committed group of invested individuals to take the next step and take action in the preservation of this historic building for the community in which it stands.”

Any contribution you can make, particularly of your time, big or small, will be instrumental in the development of a project. If you would like to discuss getting involved and/or what you could contribute, please either attend a consultation event or email us.

The Old Buckley Baths film can be viewed on YouTube here: https://youtu.be/1AmpIsjfb8g

The survey will be live until 23rd July: www.givemyview.com/oldbuckleybaths

At the drop-in events, we will have paper versions of the online survey for anyone who has not accessed the survey via social media. We will also be collecting details from people who are interested in being part of a working group to develop a project for the regeneration of the Old Buckley Baths. Alternatively, you can express your interest in being part of a working group by emailing regeneration@flintshire.gov.uk.