Campaigners voice their concerns about the closure of Golden Lane Leisure Centre.
By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter
Paul Drinkwater has been bringing his daughter to swimming lessons at the Golden Lane Leisure Centre for the last three years.
Easy to access, with a beautiful pool and an “inspirational” teacher, he said the sessions have helped her develop greater confidence in the water and that he recently saw her dive for the first time.
He was therefore shocked upon learning early last month that the centre’s owner the City of London Corporation was due to shut it on April 30 as a result of operator Fusion Lifestyle going bust.
The facility, which is slap bang in the middle of the listed Central London estate, was already to close in December to allow for a major refurbishment.
Mr Drinkwater is however part of a group of users and Golden Lane residents who are questioning the validity of shutting the centre early and if the impacts, in particular on vulnerable groups, were properly considered.
Describing the site as “the hub of our community”, he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “Every Saturday morning for the last three years I’ve brought my daughter here. She wasn’t a confident swimmer three years ago, now she’s a very confident swimmer and that’s due to the fact she’s able to swim with her friends in quite a safe environment.”
A Corporation spokesperson said alternative provision has been secured for groups that used the leisure centre, from swimming club sessions to activities for older people.
The spokesperson added the closure is temporary, with the £10.4 million refurbishment due to begin in December to last around 12 months.
The City of London Corporation announced in early April that the Golden Lane Leisure Centre, the only state-funded facility in the Square Mile, would be closing due to operator Fusion Lifestyle going bust.
As well as the swimming pool it also includes facilities such as tennis courts and a sports hall.
Alternative arrangements have since been organised to allow services to continue in the interim. The Corporation’s decision to close the centre early has however come under growing scrutiny.
The campaign group, Save Golden Lane Leisure Centre, uncovered details revealing the Corporation knew Fusion was in financial difficulties back in February, and that a decision was made in private later the same month to close the site, five weeks before the public announcement.
At a gathering organised by the campaign group last Thursday evening (April 30) a plaque was produced, in which it put the centre’s closure down to Deputy Helen Fentimen, Chair of the Community and Children’s Services Committee, Steve Goodman, Deputy Chair, and Deputy Chris Hayward, the Corporation’s Policy Chair.
Mr Drinkwater, one of the campaign’s organisers, said: “Today is a sad day and I hope it doesn’t stunt [his daughter’s] swimming proficiency. I saw her dive for the first time just last Saturday, so as well as the health impact, the impact on her proficiency, there’s the impact on her social life as well which is easy to get overlooked with projects like this. It’s easy to understand the cost of everything but the value of nothing.”
Another resident, Paul Lincoln, told the LDRS: “This is, I think, one of the most beautiful swimming pools in London. Particularly on a sunny day like today it’s a fabulous place to swim. It’s absolutely the heart of the estate and holds the estate together.”
Mr Lincoln added: “It’s 18 months since the YMCA swimming pool closed down in Tottenham Court Road and it’s just a few months since the YMCA round the corner closed down, so it’s really unfortunate that these incredibly important facilities, both focussed on community, both offering support to a huge range of people, not those just looking for high-energy gym exercise, should all disappear.”
Tim Godsmark, a former chair of the Golden Lane Estate Residents’ Association, has been using the centre since the late 1980s.
He said: “At the moment my son uses it for SEN (Special Educational Needs) sports for the session on Fridays when they do gym and football, and also for one to one swimming lessons on Saturdays. I personally use it for occasional swimming but mostly for Young at Heart gym on Saturday mornings.”
Mr Godsmark said the alternative facilities will likely prove fine for his son but that for others the transition may not prove so simple.
“A lot of the children who do SEN sports on Fridays are autistic and a change of scene and probably slightly noisier places isn’t terribly good for them. But I think it’s workable on the whole.”
A City of London Corporation spokesperson said: “We did consider options to keep the centre open temporarily but they would not have resolved the fundamental issues we were facing around the reliability of the centre for users.
“The building is ageing and increasingly unpredictable, and continuing to operate it on a short‑term basis risked further sudden disruption to programmes and sessions.
“On balance, a planned and managed closure, alongside moving quickly to secure alternative provision nearby, was the best way of ensuring reliable, high quality leisure provision for users in the short term.
“Arrangements are now in place for nearly all organised groups, including swimming, sport, activities for older people and SEND provision, and all centre members can access leisure facilities within a 10-minute walk using their existing membership.
“The closure is temporary and we remain committed to Golden Lane Leisure Centre, as shown by the £10.4m we’re investing in its refurbishment to secure the centre’s long‑term future.
“Work is expected to start in December, subject to final design, consultation, planning permission and listed building consent. The refurbishment is expected to take around 12 months.”
