Users of the Golden Lane Leisure Centre will have access to two alternative facilities to mitigate the early closure of the site, however campaigners say they don’t meet the needs of their most vulnerable members.
By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter
Users of the Golden Lane Leisure Centre will have access to two alternative facilities to mitigate the early closure of the site, however campaigners say they don’t meet the needs of their most vulnerable members.
The City of London Corporation has agreed a deal with the charity GLL to enable all existing members the use of the Finsbury Leisure Centre and Ironmonger Row Baths.
The Corporations says this will allow for continued access to leisure facilities following the closure of the Golden Lane provision on April 30, eight months earlier than initially planned due to the collapse of operator Fusion Lifestyle.
The Save Golden Lane Leisure Centre campaign group has however said the update is “inadequate for the facility’s most vulnerable users”, including the elderly and children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and that questions remain over the closure.
The Golden Lane Leisure Centre, which sits slap bang in the middle of the listed Central London estate, was due to shut in December so a £10.4 million refurbishment could be carried out.
The centre’s operator, Fusion Lifestyle, reportedly informed the Corporation on April 1 that it was entering administration.
The City said the site’s current condition and scheduled works in December “meant no financially viable alternative to closure could be identified”, and so it is to be shut on April 30.
That decision has however received significant backlash from residents and users of the centre.
The Save Golden Lane Leisure Centre’s petition, which calls on the Corporation to keep the facility open, has more than 1,600 signatures at the time of writing.
Dominique Tipper, 40, one of the campaign’s coordinators, previously told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “It is the heart of this estate. I think it is critical to the wellbeing of everyone on the estate, the general energy of the estate. You can’t just rip out the heart and leave buildings empty. It’s going to create a weird vacuum.”
Rajesh Thind, 52, who is also leading on the campaign, said: “We’re questioning how this decision was made, on what basis this decision was made, whether all the options are being considered properly, as [the City of London claims] to have done, and whether there isn’t a way for us to all get together and solve this issue and make sure that place doesn’t close on April 30.”
The Corporation announced it had reached an agreement to secure access to the Finsbury Leisure Centre and Ironmonger Row Baths last week.
Both sites are run for Islington Council by GLL, which operates under the trading name Better.
The Corporation said they are within a 10-minute walk of Golden Lane and that existing memberships will be honoured for 12 months at no extra cost.
Any additional costs to GLL from the arrangement will be covered by the City.
The Golden Lane tennis courts are to remain open, and the Corporation has said it will work with GLL to ensure as many existing programmes, such as SEND sessions and swimming clubs, as possible can be accommodated.
This has however failed to address the campaigners’ concerns.
In a release the group has asked the City to confirm whether the alternative sites are equipped to take on all of the sessions run at Golden Lane.
They drew attention to four user groups in particular, namely SEND children and young people, WeSwim, which supports adults with disabilities, GP and hospital referral patients, and the Young at Heart elderly programme.
The campaign group is understood to have met with local MP Rachel Blake and has also written directly to the Corporation, in which it outlines a series of unanswered questions related to the closure.
These include whether the alternative facilities will be adequate, noting the Corporation’s wording in its announcement last week that as many existing programmes and users will be accommodated “as possible, subject to availability”.
Mr Thind said: “Wherever possible, subject to space and availability is not a commitment. It is a disclaimer. The people who most depended on Golden Lane — disabled children, adults with complex needs, elderly residents, cardiac patients — are not well served by vague assurances.”
Chair of the City of London Corporation’s Community and Children’s Services Committee Deputy Helen Fentimen said: “The enforced early closure of Golden Lane Leisure Centre was disappointing for everyone, but our priority has been to make sure residents can continue to enjoy high‑quality leisure provision close to their homes.
“By working with GLL and Islington Council, we’ve been able to secure local alternative facilities, protect existing memberships for a year, and support the continuation of key programmes wherever possible.
“This is about doing everything we can to support our community through an unexpected situation, while we invest in the long‑term future of Golden Lane.”
