Golden Lane Leisure Centre sports hall saved after residents push back against closure plan

The Golden Lane Leisure Centre’s multi-use hall was due to be replaced under previous plans approved by the City of London Corporation

The Golden Lane Leisure Centre will retain its sports hall as part of an upcoming refurbishment after members voted to proceed with amended designs. The multi-use space had been threatened with closure under a previous scheme agreed by the City of London Corporation in January.

It would have been replaced with a larger gym and studio which it was believed would deliver “a revenue surplus and stronger strategic alignment”.

Several months later members however chose to carry out further consultation due to growing concerns about the loss of the hall, with campaigners having urged the Corporation to review the decision.

At a Community and Children’s Services Committee (CCS) meeting yesterday members voted unanimously for “Option 1 – enhanced”, which will provide a “modest” increase in gym space while retaining the sports hall.

Rajesh Thind, Interim Chair of the Golden Lane Leisure Centre User Forum, praised the decision as a victory for the community.

The Golden Lane Leisure Centre, which sits at the heart of the famous Central London estate, has been shut since April 30 after former operator Fusion Lifestyle went bust.

The Corporation’s decision to close the centre, which it pitched as necessary ahead of the refurbishment at the end of this/start of next year, has proven particularly controversial.

This is in-part due to every other local authority with a facility run by Fusion identifying ways to keep them open.

Concerns about the refurbishment itself have also been raised, in particular the planned removal of the multi-use sports hall.

At the Community and Children’s Services Committee meeting this week members were presented with a new “emerging design” under which the hall would be retained.

This had been developed following a period of engagement which found a clear majority of respondents were in-favour of keeping the space.

Two sessions were held with a survey also launched. The report stated 88 people attended in-person, with a further 218 responses to the survey.

Of the 206 questionnaire respondents who chose an option 84 per cent wanted to keep the sports hall.

Of the facilities the leisure centre offers, the pool and sports hall were rated the most important.

The report notes that while the “enhanced” option would deliver a “significantly weaker financial position” than the original scheme, it does show an improvement on previous forecasts and would return a surplus.

Common Councillor Sandra Jenner said she would support the amended scheme, telling members: “It provides the two objectives that I’ve been looking for, which is it covers its own costs… and it’s what people want.”

This position was echoed by Common Councillor Dawn Frampton, who said: “Given the energy and work and at times our souls that have gone into getting us to this point, I would like to thank the officers for listening to the committee and the community and coming back with the emerging offer which retains the sports hall. Therefore I will be supporting the enhanced option one.”

Steve Goodman, a Common Councillor and Deputy Chair of the committee, said the process should act as a learning for members, “because we took a decision which is quite clearly not the right decision and the engagement of the community has enabled us to re-think where we were going”.

Committee Chair Deputy Helen Fentimen closed by saying she was “pleased” by the way the alternative option has been progressed, adding it was “absolutely clear from day one that [retaining the sports hall] was what people wanted”.

Members unanimously agreed to the “enhanced” design as well as the establishment of a Community Steering Group for the project.

Following the meeting Mr Thind said: “This is a victory for the community and for evidence-based decision-making. Four months ago this centre was closed with no consultation and no equality assessment. Today, the City has listened to its own data and its own residents. We thank every member of this community who wrote, organised, and turned up.”

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