A splash of cash may revive Britain's spas

As Fibs go, the railway station name Bath Spa is a 24-carat whopper: the city's hot springs have remained unused since 1978. But it is hoped that this week the Millennium Commission will announce funding for a pounds 13.5m plan to put the spa back into Bath.

The Bath Spa Project would harness some of the 1.2 million litres of water that spill out of the city's three thermal pools every day, at temperatures of up to 47C.

At the heart of the project is a futuristic building which would be set amid the city's exquisite Roman, Mediaeval and Georgian features. Encompassing immersion pools, water therapy and specialist treatment rooms, the scheme would make the city a centre for hot water treatments within Britain. Residents, usually opposed to development, have warmed to the design.

The cube-shaped building of glass and stone will house indoor and outdoor pools on three levels. There will be whirlpools, saunas and steam rooms, plunge pools, an exercise area, cafes, shops and a public drinking fountain.It will be the first notable 20th century building in Bath's city centre.

The scheme is dependent on a pounds 6.75m bid for National Lottery funds, the result of which will be announced on Wednesday. The rest of the money will come from Bath and North-East Somerset Council, a consortium of trusts, European operators and private investors. Paul Simons, the project's director, is confident of getting Millennium money. But he said: "We have had five attempts over the past 15 years to re-open the baths but the project requires extra funding. If we do not get the money from the Millennium Commission, the project will not go ahead."

Supporters of the project say it would help to revitalise Bath. "Bath only exists because of the three thermal springs but none have been used since 1978," Mr Simons said. "The spas are Bath's raison d'etre. They were used by the Celts, the Romans and helped Bath in its 18th century heyday."

The futuristic building, by Nicholas Grimshaw and Partners, architects of the Eurostar terminus at Waterloo station in London, will be on the site of the disused 1920s Beau Street swimming baths. The engineers are Ove Arup, responsible for the Canary Wharf skyscraper in London, Britain's tallest building.

Four adjacent disused 18th century buildings will be renovated, including the Hot and Cross Baths and the Hetling Pump Room. They will provide a further spa, aromatherapy and treatment rooms and immersion pools. If the funding is granted, Mr Simons predicts the scheme will open in Easter, 2000.

"It will be open to all. There will be no exclusive membership scheme," he said.

The majority of residents are in favour of the development, according to David Gledhill, editor of The Bath Chronicle. The strong local support was a pleasant surprise, he said. "People have been scared in the past of introducing new buildings here. But a 20th century building is exactly what Bath needs.

"It will boost tourism. At the moment most people come here on a day trip. This will encourage them to stay, chill out and use Bath as a base for the region."

Mr Simons agreed. "It is a highly contentious idea to put up a new building in the centre of Bath but we are thinking ahead for the next 1,000 years rather than trying to create a pastiche of the past."

The developers hope it will not only increase the number of visitors to Bath - currently around 1.5m a year - but invigorate the spa industry across the UK. Around 300,000 Britons visited spas on the Continent last year. Aside from Buxton's tepid 11C waters and the Brine Baths at Droitwich, the city owns the only hot springs in Britain.

The project in Bath has the support of other spa towns, including Leamington, Buxton, Cheltenham and Harrogate. Mr Simons expects the project to receive a warmer welcome than the spas did from Samuel Pepys in 1668, who wrote, "Methinks it cannot be clean to go so many bodies together in to the same water." Mr Simons said: "In 1720 there were 200 spas across Britain. Bath can set the example for a spa revival in this country."