£6 million plans to restore and refurbish part of Swindon's historic Health Hydro can go ahead, despite pleas to think again.

Members of the authority’s planning committee approved the council’s own plans for the late Victorian Grade II*-listed building at a meeting earlier this week.

The building, thought to be one of the oldest in Swindon, will see replacements to the mechanical, electrical and plumbing plant systems, a new changing area which includes a direct link to the Turkish Baths, and the creation of a new gym and group activity and class space.

The viewing area for the main pool will also be opened up again.

But there were pleas to councillors on the committee to think again.

Helmut Heib, speaking for the Friends organisation said: “There has been very little consultation since substantive proposals were made in late 2022.”

He went on to say that the changing room arrangements, a large area with individual changing and shower cubicles and family and group changing rooms presented "safeguarding and equal opportunities issues” and lamented that any work on opening the small pool would be in later phases of work.

Ian Marsden, also of the Friends, said he was disappointed that there would be little or no information to visitors about the significance of the building to Swindon and its industrial history and to the NHS.

Bob Wright, who is a trustee of the Mechanics’ Institute Trust, and a former long-serving councillor, said: “This is a £6m restoration, you don’t get those chances often.

"There is still time to ask the council to rethink and get it to put opening the small pool into its plans instead of a gym.

"That’s for the benefit of the operator, the people of Swindon want the small pool open.”

Councillors on the committee were clearly affected by those arguments.

Jane Milner-Barry was concerned that the lack of a reception desk, with users letting themselves in through a gate with an electronic card, could present a safeguarding issue, and her colleague John Ballman felt that the mixed-sex changing area could be exclusionary to many faith or ethnic groups, and wanted them to be asked about the issue.

The members were reminded that they could only decide the case on planning matters – the physical changes made to the building – and not operational issues.

Both the listed building consent and the planning permission for the project were granted with two-thirds of the committee voting to approve and a third abstaining or voting against.

Work is expected to last for 18 months until autumn 2024.