Fusion Lifestyle is investing £5m to restore the historic Newcastle City Hall, Pools and Turkish Baths complex in what will be the operator’s first contract in the north of England.

The Grade II listed complex, built in 1928, will undergo a restoration and refurbishment of its pool and Turkish bath facilities, with the addition of a gym, studios, spa and café. A spokesperson for Fusion said that it was too early to say which equipment company would be supplying the gym – which is due to open as part of the new health and wellbeing centre in 2017.

With historic pools and lidos increasingly under threat, Fusion is positioning itself as an operator committed to regenerating heritage leisure facilities. The company now operates seven lidos (as part of its 85 leisure sites nationwide) and is also currently working to restore the Grade II listed Art-Deco Broomhill Pool lido in Ipswich, which has been shut since 2002.

“There has been a tendency over the past few decades to neglect or shut our historic leisure facilities,” said Fusion Lifestyle CEO Peter Kay.

“However over the past few years, particularly as many are threatened with closure, people are waking up to the fact that these valuable resources may be lost forever and are recognising that they are important community assets.

“It is a pleasure to see these historic leisure facilities restored and being made use of by the communities that they were designed for.”