Wolverhampton Council spent £25k on study into shelved academy
Wolverhampton City Council spent £25,000 on a study for the plans to transform Heath Town baths and library into a sports academy.
However, the proposal for the Tessa Sanderson Foundation Academy on the site of the grade II-listed leisure complex in Tudor Road has now been shelved.
Despite this, the council says the feasibility study will still prove useful for the future of the site.
Councillor Elias Mattu, cabinet member for leisure and communities, said: "The council supported the Tessa Sanderson Foundation in a number of ways as it developed its proposals for the development of the former Heath Town Baths and library complex, including a contribution of £25,000 to support a feasibility study which the Foundation commissioned.
"It should be noted that although this study was undertaken to support the Foundation's proposals, it has wider benefits and we will continue to use it to inform the way forward.
"Other than this, the only financial outlay from the council has been to maintain security on site following the closure of the baths while its future use has been investigated, which the council would have had to do regardless of the interest from the Foundation in developing a sports academy there."
It comes after Councillor Milkinder Jaspal said any public money spent on the scrapped idea should be paid back.
The plans for the sports academy were announced four years ago by the Olympic legend herself. The baths were shut in 2003.
