People want the return of Ashton baths, but how?

When the old Ashton swimming baths building was bulldozed last year, any hope of a pool coming back to Tameside’s civic town went with it.

Now the council has committed to looking into the idea of doing just that.

The former Active Ashton facility off Water Street was finally bulldozed last year – at a cost of just under £1m. A petition signed by 7,000 to stop the demolition fell on deaf ears following the shut down of the baths in September 2023.

This was part of a wider set of closures that saw the Tameside borough lose Active Ashton’s two swimming pools and gym; Adventure Longdendale’s trampoline park, laser zone and soft play area for children; and Active Etherow’s dedicated indoor bowling centre.

The closest public swimming facilities for residents in Ashton are Tameside Wellness Centre in Denton and Hyde Leisure Pool.

Independent councillor Kaleel Khan has been campaigning for months on getting it back, but his call to get town hall bosses to commit to actually building a new affordable facility for all Ashtonians didn’t quite go to plan.

At the latest town hall meeting his motion sought confirmation of a new leisure centre with gym access, spa and wellness centre. The reality saw the Labour-dominant chamber water down the motion to essentially look into a possible business case for the new facility.

Speaking in Dukinfield Town Hall on March 2, Coun Khan said: “The council talks a lot about living well, but how can Ashton live well when our town centre has no swimming pool or leisure offer. This motion is about bringing back an affordable swimming and leisure offer in Ashton.

“By affordable, it must be open to everyone regardless of income, not just people who can afford private options. This is about fairness and helping people live healthier and more active lives.”

The subject sparked a fiery debate, which saw councillors pointing the finger of blame towards former council leader Ged Cooney. Coun Cooney denied claims he was solely responsible, saying all councillors at the time voted to close down the pool. He added that Active Tameside – who operate leisure facilities in the borough – was in dire straits and may have needed to close all of their leisure facilities if the council didn’t step in to help.

Coun McLaren said: “You say ‘you shouldn’t have ripped it down without a plan’, which I agree with. But the motion never mentions the previous leader, it never mentions him once.

“If you really want to find out why Ashton has no pool and why there is no plan, ask the person sitting next to you (Coun Cooney). My leader has a plan and a record of delivery, which we’ve sat here for five hours and listened to.”

Council bosses in the room did outline how they intend to look into a new pool as part of the wider redevelopment of Ashton town centre and the planned leisure offer that comes with it. Coun McLaren essentially told the chamber that they can’t just suddenly commit to building a new leisure centre overnight without proper planning or consultation.

Ashton is going to change beyond recognition over the coming years, but the question for campaigners is how a new swimming pool can fit into Ashton’s redevelopment. The Ashton Mayoral Development Corporation project could see up to 2,400 new homes built; 12.5 hectares of commercial space created to support businesses and jobs; and Greater Manchester’s first fully connected Bee Network station introduced.

Tameside council’s executive cabinet believe the overarching town centre plan, boosted by the £20m Levelling Up funding, would futureproof the town for years to come. The project is already underway, with Market Square currently a building site as part of a £14.6m scheme.

The town hall’s vision is for Ashton to become a ‘vibrant’ and ‘modern’ town. The plan, approved by town hall bosses, would see the Arcades and Ladysmith shopping centres reconfigured to ‘better suit the needs of locals’.

The phased development would see the majority of the Ladysmith’s retail offer transferred to the Arcades. The Ladysmith would be bulldozed to make way for 306 new homes under the proposals.

The Arcades would become the central hub for shopping, with a cinema and leisure facilities earmarked for the first floor. The council will need to look at how these proposed leisure facilities could incorporate a swimming facility, most likely through a business case.

Their entire project is not fully funded yet, with town hall chiefs looking for investment. What the leisure offer within the revamped Arcades would look like remains a mystery.

The local authority has explained that a wider piece of work for all leisure across the authority is being assessed. The idea behind this is to ensure they are maximising all opportunities alongside meeting the health inequalities of residents.

Coun Khan thinks there is a good site where the old Ashton bus station used to sit, but Coun McLaren explained they can’t suddenly slap a big new leisure facility on the land. Currently that land is earmarked to become a new public realm with an improved link to the train station.

Whether Ashton will get a new swimming baths remains unclear, but what is clear is the strength of feeling for its return.

School children, pensioners, families and those with disabilities were all avid users of the site. They all spoke of their disappointment when the pool shut down, so it’s clear there would be punters for any potential new leisure centre.

That outpouring of anger when Active Ashton closed in 2023 remains – as does the desire to see it come back.