Haggerston Baths could be turned into flats or hotel after lying empty for 15 years

A Grade II listed swimming pool in east London that has lain empty for 15 years could be sold off for conversion into flats or a hotel.

Hackney Council is now "seeking interest" in Haggerston Baths, which it says would cost £25million to restore and is already costing it an eye-watering £100,000 a year in security and maintenance.

The news will come as a blow to campaigners, who were unsuccessful in getting the Whitston Road building listed as an "asset of community value" last year.

Hackney knows "the strength of feeling about the baths" and "will only consider working with an appropriate partner, such as someone who is prepared to use the building for the benefit of the community or to revitalise the local area," Mayor Jules Pipe said in a statement.

But BNP Paribas, brokering the sale, says in a brochure the site would be suitable for a hotel or residential use, among other options.

Mayor Pipe added: "We would particularly welcome someone with viable, sustainable plans to re-establish use of the barrel-vaulted pool hall.

"We would love to be able to invest in the building but unfortunately, with ever-shrinking resources, we simply cannot prioritise this project.

"However, we are determined to identify a long-term and sustainable future for the building."

The Victorian Society - which named the pool one of the 10 most endangered buildings of 2013 - said in a blog post it welcomed the council's decision to flog the building.

But it urged bosses to make sure "whoever the building is sold to ensures access to the pool and public areas".

Photographs at a microsite set up by the French bank to advertise the building show the pool hall daubed with graffiti.

What looks like discarded swimming equipment - possibly a marker to separate lanes - lies in one corner, while other pictures show evidence the building has been used as a squat.