Roz
I think you may not have looked closely at the plans for option 2. Option 2 doesn't just retain the facade, it retains the entire Pools frontage building. What goes is the 'sheds' with the collapsing roofs that sat over the pools themselves. So far as I am aware, the frontage building is in reasonably good shape and simply needs some refurbishment to make it a useful part of the new building. If you look at the plans, it actually represents a very small percentage of the total floor area. There is no question of shoreing up etc as would be necessary if it was just the facade that was to be retained.

In the 2005 Capita report the frontage building was described as 'a high quality frontage building giving appropriate 'civic presence' to the highway... Brick, terracotta and stone were used for the frontage building, with timber trusses and lower quality stock bricks for the pool halls.'