A MAJOR step has been taken towards the multi-million pound restoration and refurbishment of the historic Health Hydro in Milton Road.

Swindon Borough Council is inviting bids from specialist leisure consultants to work on the £6.5m project to revamp the Grade-II* listed pool complex.

The project will deliver an upgrade of the building’s leisure facilities and will include a full refurbishment of the Victorian Turkish baths alongside general maintenance and repairs.

Councillor Robert Jandy, the council's cabinet member for culture, heritage, leisure and town centre experience, said: “It’s great to see progress being made on the refurbishment of this amazing historical centre.

“The Health Hydro provides a swimming and social opportunity to so many in the town so it’s important we make sure it is in the best condition possible for this and future generations.”

The £6.5m project is funded by the borough council and also by central government which has put up £5m for the work under its Towns Fund scheme.

Bringing back the 1890s-built baths complex to something closer to its original state is part of the council's plans for the Railway Village Heritage Action Zone, in partnership with Historic England.

The building in Milton Road is crucial to Swindon's industrial heritage - it was built by subscription of Great Western railway workers and is said to be the model later adopted by the NHS when it was founded in 1948. As well as two swimming pools, Turkish baths and ordinary baths for washing, there were doctors consulting rooms, treatment rooms and a pharmacist and dispensary which were available to all those who subscribed, free at the point of use.

A spokesman for the borough council said: "The Health Hydro holds a special place in the history of the area with it being fully paid for by workers of the Great Western Railway who once resided in the village.

"This latest project will help bring the centre back to its former glory and make it a welcoming place for everyone. Investing in regeneration projects like these should also have a snowball effect, increasing land values and attracting new private sector investment into new services, facilities, homes, retail and workspaces to support local jobs."

Projects in the Railway Village are the main plank of the regeneration work to be done using £19.5m of the government's Towns Fund money allocated to Swindon.

Revamping the Carriage Works, creating a new home for Create Studios, and improving Station Road and Bristol Street, especially the underpasses, will take £13.4m of the total, and enabling work on the Kimmerfields project the rest.