Jacobs Wells Baths is a Grade II Listed community asset being preserved and restored, with Trinity Community Arts stewarding the Community Asset Transfer. Community engagement was undertaken to understand stakeholder aspirations and needs, build consensus around the building’s evolution, and develop a phased approach that could flex according to available budget. Conversations were structured to feed into the emerging architectural designs being developed by project architects Ph3 and support funding applications. PLACED was commissioned to deliver engagement workshops to understand how the community and stakeholders envisaged using the building, what would be needed to make spaces functional, and how different activities could be programmed over time.
Jacob Wells Baths
-
PLACED delivered three workshops to engage various stakeholders to understand priorities for the building. Held at the Grain Barge, the workshops began with a building tour of Jacobs Wells Baths, allowing participants to understand the physical space and its potential. Attendees were then guided through a structured co-design process facilitated by PLACED, working in small groups to encourage collaboration. Additionally, an online survey was compiled and circulated by Trinity Community Arts, complementing the in-person workshop by reaching an audience.
-
The findings from the engagement PLACED delivered provided a strong foundation for informing architectural designs, phasing decisions, and future funding applications, ensuring that the restoration of Jacobs Wells Baths remains rooted in genuine community needs and ambitions.
“Working with PLACED was fantastic - they brought their professionalism and
experience to our consultation process, as well as creative materials and the relaxed facilitation of Jo Harrop.”