Bevan Brittan helps Moseley Road Baths charitable group obtain licence to operate historic swimming pool

Law firm Bevan Brittan has successfully advised Moseley Road Baths Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO), on a pro-bono basis, on its licence to operate the historic swimming baths in Balsall Heath, Birmingham.

Moseley Road Baths is an internationally renowned, beautiful Grade II* Edwardian public baths, which serves as a much-loved and much-used community swimming facility for Balsall Heath and the surrounding area. The building has been identified as a priority for the World Monuments Fund, the National Trust and Historic England.

Karen Leach from Moseley Road Baths CIO said: “We are delighted to have formally obtained our licence to operate and are extremely grateful to Bevan Brittan for helping us with the application without charge. Having taken over the swimming operation from the Council in April 2018, we have developed our business plan that shows that swimming can become financially sustainable within three years, based on a ‘part staff, part volunteer’ model tried and tested at other community pools and based on minimising our setup costs as much as we can. We are also securing seed funding, volunteers and considerable community support for the enterprise. There is an exciting future for the pool, with fantastic levels of community engagement.”

Karen added: "If you want to support the work that the CIO are doing why not go for a swim, find out about volunteering, join us for the Mayor's Community Weekend  pool party (Sunday 1st July) or vote for us in LoveBrum's sport month!"

Looking to the future, the Moseley Road Baths CIO, as part of a wider coalition including the National Trust, Birmingham City Council, World Monuments Fund and Historic England, are looking at short term and longer term measures to secure the restoration of the building as a whole and bring more of it into use.

Rebecca Pendlebury, partner at Bevan Brittan in Birmingham who advised on this matter with solicitor Emma Wilson, said: “We were delighted to work with Moseley Road Baths CIO on a pro-bono basis. There was widespread support for this beautiful heritage asset to be preserved and for it to continue to function as a swimming pool for the local community. Bevan Brittan has been in Birmingham for over 15 years and we are very pleased that we have been able to support this initiative that matters so much to so many local people.”