The sports hall at Golden Lane Leisure Centre in central London is not expected to reopen before a planned refurbishment, despite growing calls from users. The City of London Corporation confirmed on Thursday, May 21, that it will not instruct officers to prepare a fully-costed report assessing whether the facility can be brought back into use before works begin.
Rajesh Thind, Campaign Director at the Save Golden Lane Leisure Centre group, described the position as “disappointing” but said the discussion around the sports hall “has barely begun”. The leisure centre, the only such facility in the Square Mile, closed on April 30 after operator Fusion Lifestyle entered administration.
Closure Controversy
The Corporation pitched the closure as necessary ahead of a refurbishment later this year or early next. However, the decision has faced intense scrutiny, partly because every other local authority with a Fusion-run facility has found ways to keep them open. For example, Brockwell Lido in South London was saved after Lambeth Council stepped in.
The human impact of the closure has also been raised. Paul Drinkwater, whose daughter swam at the pool, said: “I saw her dive for the first time just last Saturday. Besides the health impact, there’s the impact on her social life, which is easy to overlook.”
Alternative Facilities Questioned
The Corporation identified alternative facilities to mitigate the closure, but some users have queried their suitability. The Corporation has also been accused of “preventing democracy” by rejecting a proposed motion calling on officers to take all necessary steps to reopen the centre. The motion was deemed “unlawful” for not stipulating funding, and was suggested to be amended to request a report to the Community and Children’s Services Committee (CCS). Campaigners argued this would strip the motion of substance and refer it to a smaller forum.
The refurbishment itself has been questioned, with members recently agreeing to further engagement on the design, largely due to push-back over replacing the sports hall with a larger fitness gym. Campaigners gathered outside London’s Guildhall on Thursday, sporting banners and chanting for the centre to reopen.
Mr Drinkwater said: “Since we last spoke, the leisure centre has been shut by the City of London. It’s now boarded up. People are struggling to find alternative provision despite the council’s insistence otherwise. We had councillors prepared to raise a motion today, but it was blocked undemocratically. This is the only way we can make our voice heard.”
No Further Discussion Anticipated
The centre was first raised at Thursday’s meeting by Common Councillor Dawn Frampton, who asked CCS Chair Deputy Helen Fentimen what lessons can be learned and how meaningful engagement can be achieved. Common Councillor Mercy Haggerty requested a fully-costed report on reopening the sports hall.
Deputy Fentimen responded that the issue has been discussed before, and officers’ time would be better spent on redesign options. She cited costs, including business rates, insurance, and staffing. She added that the building is “unreliable”, with parts of the internal infrastructure failing daily. “For those reasons, there is no decision and no further discussion anticipated to reopen the sports hall during the interim period,” she said.
Following the meeting, Mr Thind said: “We are disappointed but not surprised. The Chair does not speak for every local councillor or CCS Committee member, and she certainly does not speak for the residents. The Corporation says no further discussions are expected. We say the discussion has barely begun. The June 30 CCS meeting will be the moment that matters.”
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “We remain committed to Golden Lane and are investing £10.4m to secure a modern, high quality leisure centre. Our priority has been to protect users and secure alternative provision while the centre is closed. On balance, moving quickly to secure alternative provision nearby was the best way of ensuring reliable, high quality leisure provision in the short term.”
