Campaigners fighting to save a historic Aberdeen landmark are hiring a legal team to assist them in their bid to save the ageing building.
The Bon Accord Heritage group – which wants to reopen the Art Deco Bon Accord Baths, on Justice Mill Lane – hopes solicitors will be able to help it secure access to the structure and help with any legal issues in the fight to reopen the much-loved attraction.
John Law – head of facilities and fundraising for the team – said an assessment of the state to the building after seven years of neglect would have to be carried out before its plans could progress.
The group hopes to source grants to fund a feasibility study, after which it would raise funds for its restoration.
The baths were put on the open market by the council in January through selling agents, Shepherd Commercial.
The move came after campaigners met council officials last May and outlined their plans to save the site.
Yesterday, Torry and Ferryhill councillor Alan Donnelly insisted the local authority would still consider any business plan brought forward by the group.
However, Mr Law said that would only be possible if it had “serious cooperation with the council”.
He added: “We had a couple of meetings about it last year and they (council officials) were unsupportive of our plans.
“I have been trying to get access to view the pool, but none of us have been allowed to get in it yet.
“We have no idea of how it is inside. None of us have been able to gain access and look at the property from the inside, which is crucial for cost.
“What we are trying to do is get the council to support our idea. We need to know they are on our side, we need to gain access, get a surveyor or someone who can get in and get an estimate of cost.”
Mr Law recently attended a meeting of the UK-wide Historic Pools Network at Glasgow’s Westburn Baths, which was built in the 1930s and was once Scotland’s largest pool.
The organisation was established to protect, restore and help operate historic swimming pools across the country.
Mr Law said all the members of the network had fostered good working relationships with their local authorities to keep their pools going.
He added: “That is exactly what we are trying to establish here.
“We can all flog ourselves to death but if we’ve not got support then it is an impossible task.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman said: “The building went on the market in January 2015. No closing date has been set yet.”