Plans to shorten a South London pool by eight metres have been paused, after shocked users said they were not properly consulted.
Places Leisure emailed users of Putney Leisure Centre on Tuesday (June 2) to announce the 33-metre pool would shut on July 1 and reopen in early September after it had been divided into a 25m pool and separate teaching pool.
More than 920 people have signed a petition calling on Wandsworth Council, which owns the centre, and contractor Places Leisure, which runs it, to scrap the plans and consult properly with residents and users before making any changes to the pool.
Wandsworth’s former Labour administration had agreed for the centre to be refurbished as part of a new 10-year contract it announced with Places Leisure in June last year. Exact details of the proposals were not provided.
But Labour lost control of the authority in the local elections on May 7, with a Conservative minority now leading the council.
The new administration has now confirmed to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) it has paused the planned closure due to concerns about a lack of proper engagement with residents and users.
Conservative councillor Ethan Brooks, Cabinet Member for the Environment, said the authority would “reset the approach, working with Places Leisure to deliver a more robust and transparent engagement process” about the future of the pool.
Resident Dan Hawtrey, who has used the pool for years, set up the petition after receiving the email on Tuesday.
He told the LDRS members like him had not been consulted on the planned changes. “The whole way it’s been done has been so… badly managed and communicated,” he said.
He added: “To not be consulted, it’s just astounding that anyone would think that that’s acceptable because it’s clearly a major change to the pool.”
The council’s previous Labour administration reappointed Places Leisure to run eight of Wandsworth’s leisure centres in June last year, with the 10-year contract starting last October.
The council said at the time it had agreed works totalling £24million to refurbish the facilities as part of the contract with Places Leisure – including Putney Leisure Centre – although exact details of these plans were not provided.
Dan told the LDRS management had indicated the pool would introduce a booking system only allowing 14 people per lane in the new pool, but this would still leave it overcrowded.
He said: “14 people in a 25m lane is actually quite a lot of people and it turns into a queue rather than nice up and down rhythmic swimming. It’s just not pleasant. It’s definitely a degradation of the facility.”
Dan stressed that many people came to the centre for the 33m pool, including long distance swimmers for their training, and they did not want to see it lost forever.
The petition added: “Modernise the centre – please do. But don’t take away the one thing that makes it worth coming to for many people. A permanent change to a pool the public owns and pays for, decided behind closed doors and announced barely a month before it shuts – without consulting a single resident or member. This is our pool. We deserve a say in its future.”
On top of the pool redesign, the proposed works include a revamped fitness suite, new and upgraded studio spaces, a new health and wellbeing suite and refurbishment of the changing facilities, reception and café.
Councillor Brooks told the LDRS: “Wandsworth Council has informed Places Leisure that the planned closure of Putney Pool must be paused. This reflects concerns that there has not been sufficient engagement with residents and regular users on the proposed works.
“While investment is needed to secure the pool’s long-term future, we are not currently confident that adequate engagement has taken place. We also recognise that recent communications, shared without council oversight, have caused concern, and we apologise for this.
“We will now reset the approach, working with Places Leisure to deliver a more robust and transparent engagement process. The council remains committed to investing in Putney Leisure Centre and delivering an ambitious refurbishment that improves the quality, accessibility and sustainability of the facility for the future.”
