A PETITION calling for the historic Health Hydro to be spared from development has gained more than 1,000 signatures in just five days.

The Hydro, where generations of Swindonians learned to swim, has been mooted as a potential site for new housing since 2016.

An online petition on Change.org has seen a surge in signatures following the first anniversary of the controversial proposal last week.

Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) announced a consultation in late 2016 to convert part of the stunning Victorian building into housing.

The proposal would have seen the Milton Road side of the site, which includes the Turkish bath, converted into 30 homes.

But the public were quick to rally against the plans and this week the petition was set surpass 4,500 signatures.

Sally Hawson, 53, runs the Facebook group Save Swindon’s Heritage and has been campaigning for more locals to back the petition.

The mother-of-one has posted extensively on social media in pursuit of more signatures to save the Grade two-listed building.

She said: “I’ve been sharing the petition all over the place in the last year and I’ve given it another little push in the last week.

“And, quite literally, in only five days another 1,422 people - and it’s still climbing now - have signed the petition asking GLL and the council not to go ahead with their plans.

“We’re rapidly speeding towards 5,000 people backing the petition. I know the flats have still not been taken off the table.

“We want to take it to the council and GLL and say ‘look, this is the feeling in the town - we don’t want you to do this. And if you can’t make it pay then please sign it over to community groups who will.’

“It would be such an incredible waste and such a loss. The Victorian Society recognise it as a nationally important site.

“I just don’t know how this could possibly go ahead and I think GLL need to understand that there has to be a backlash to this.

“It’s more than a building. It’s part of the identity of Swindon.”

Last January, the site was approved by the council as an “asset of community value”.

The special status means that the owner of an asset on the list will not be able to dispose of it until community groups have been given the opportunity to submit a bid of their own.

The Health Hydro is owned by Swindon Borough Council and GLL are the tenants.

Any plans for the building will have to take its status into consideration.

Last year, council leader David Renard said that any possible uses for the Health Hydro needed to be explored and more detail gathered.

A spokesman for GLL said that no decisions have been made at this stage.

He said: “We are continuing to work with the petitioners and Swindon Borough Council on a thorough review of the Health Hydro in order to agree a long term, sustainable future for this wonderful facility.

“No decisions have been made.

“Once the ongoing condition and conservation surveys have been submitted we will be able to start an options appraisal and will be keeping everyone informed.”

The petition can be seen at https://www.change.org/p/greenwich-leisure-limited-save-swindon-s-health-hydro