Brand-New Chapter for The Baths
Major regeneration project will transform the venue into a Creative Powerhouse for Ipswich
Following a game-changing £1.92 million investment from the Towns Fund in 2025, Brighten The Corners has officially been given the green light on one of the region’s most exciting and ambitious regeneration projects.
The funding, which was awarded by Ipswich Borough Council, will be used to transform The Baths (formerly known as St Matthew’s Baths Hall) into a cutting edge Creative Digital Skills Lab, alongside upgrades to the existing ground floor music venue.
With its unique history as a community swimming baths, social club, gym, and pop-up music venue, our project will breathe new life into the venue, with an official launch planned for Spring 2027.
We’re bringing the currently unused first-floor space of The Baths to life with brand-new video production, live recording, and podcast facilities. These will sit alongside a state-of-the-art Extended Reality (XR) studio, which merges physical and digital worlds using a combination of LED screens, camera tracking, and real-time rendering to create immersive, interactive experiences.
With only one other publicly accessible XR studio of its kind in the UK, this is a big deal for Ipswich and will position our town as a vibrant hub for innovation.
We’ll also be upgrading the existing music venue on the ground floor, enhancing the experience for artists and audiences, strengthening our night-time economy, and helping Ipswich become a must-visit destination for touring acts.
When our refurbishment project is complete, local businesses, creative entrepreneurs and community groups will all have access to a variety of courses, workshops, training, volunteer opportunities and business development support on their doorstep.
Opportunities will include XR design and film making, post-production and editing, audio recording and digital photography.
Over the coming months, we’ll be working closely with communities across Ipswich to make sure this space delivers long-term cultural and economic impact for the town we all love.
The transformation will begin soon, with doors opening in 2027. Until then, we’ll be sharing new information, behind-the-scenes updates and ways you can get involved, right here.
FAQs
Who will be able to use the Creative Digital Skills Lab facilities?
The doors to our Creative Digital Skills Lab will be open to local businesses, creative entrepreneurs, community groups, young people, bands, artists, and everyone in between.
Although we’re based here in Ipswich, we hope to welcome people from all corners of the UK. Our aim is to connect and inspire talent, working closely with communities and businesses to create opportunities that are accessible for everyone
When will work start, and how long is the construction expected to take?
Construction work will begin in late Spring 2026 and is expected to be completed by early Spring 2027. During this period, we’ll keep the local community updated on progress, sharing key milestones as the project moves forward.
What arrangements will be made for performances planned at The Baths while work is underway?
Bands will continue to perform at The Baths until construction begins in 2026. Whilst important regeneration work is underway, The Church and The Smokehouse will host extra gigs and performances throughout the remainder of the year.
A full programme for The Baths, featuring local and national artists, will be announced in 2027 when the venue is ready to reopen.
How can local people or community groups get involved at this stage?
Alongside a series of community focus groups over the coming months, we’ll also be announcing details of a public drop-in event that we’d love local people to come along to. It will be a chance to hear more about our plans, share ideas and explore ways to get involved as the project develops.
If you have any specific questions at this stage, you can contact the team below.
Where can people get updates on the project as it progresses?
We’ll be updating this page regularly, but you can also follow our progress on Instagram, where the Brighten The Corners team will be sharing behind-the-scenes updates!
Joe Bailey, BTC CEO and Director, would like to thank the following people and organisations who have worked with us over the last year in order to help realise our vision for The Baths.
Thanks to:
Neil MacDonald, Helen Pluck and Colin Kreidewolf from Ipswich Borough Council and Glenn Miller and Zach Tebbutt at Ipserve.
Bethan Williams, Guy Longhurst and Matthew Rowe at Ellisons Solicitors for the legal work and commercial conveyancing securing The Baths venue.
Richard MacRae and Ellie DeGory from EDRM Architects for the original design and vision.
Ross Warren from Hoopers Architects.
Get in touch
If you have any further queries or would like to get in touch about the regeneration, we want to hear from you.
