SOUTHWARK PROCEDURE FOR CHOSING A LEISURE CENTRE SITE DOCUMENT MAP:

From points 1 to 5: Descriptions

The document sets the target services for the New Leisure Centre:

It describes the facilities being replaced in the present Leisure Centre and conditions such that the Council must have freehold of the new Leisure Centre site.

The new facility should replace the following facilities available in Seven Islands:

• 6 lane 33 metre pool

• Disused small pool

• 60 work station gym

• 1 studio

• Small community hall+.

Points 6 to 8:

Explain the sites being purchased by BL and which will be incorporated in to the master plan to give 45 acres to be developed in a 20 year period, and talks about planning applications and process which have taken place before the Southwark Council consulted the general public.

Points 9 to 10 describe the facilities to be expected in the new Leisure Centre.

The initial specifications for the Leisure Centre have been set to:

• 8 lane swimming pool

• learner pool

• 150 work station gym

• 3 studio spaces

• crèche

• Four court sports hall.

The site for the facility also has to be of sufficient size to meet the functional

requirements generated by the facility. The internal layout of the centre will

require front of house area/reception, changing rooms, shower facilities,

circulation, storage, and plant room. Externally areas for disabled parking,

cycling, deliveries and school drop off are required.

Please note the stealth exercised in the specifications: it says 8 lane swimming pool, but there is no mention of the inferior 25 meter length (not 50 meter as in the original Master Plan) which makes all the difference and the Labour run Council doesn’t want to be seen as the ones degrading the facility. This terrible 25 meter specification is hush hush job ..it is more like a verbal agreement with the developer, Labour run Southwark Council knows that it is trying to degrade the original Master Plan, that they offer the public a worse pool than what it has already! 

London itself is not promoting sport as promised to  the Olympic commission when it approved the London bid. At this time they are really degrading sport in London.

To all purposes the old 33 meter pool of Seven Islands is far better, it is located at a site properly planned to serve as a Leisure Centre. This type of pool, the 33 meter pool has been developed over many years so it is a much better design, has a greater depth. It is hard to see this land grab as being an improvement for the sport of swimming.

The “new” extra facilities should have been placed in to Seven Islands Leisure Centre years ago if the Council had really attended to the fitness of its population responsibly as they have always done in St. Georges – Tower Hamlets

Points 11 and 12 describe the catchment area regarding the location of the Leisure Centres.

Point 13: The belated investment of £2m of capital funding on the centre: The planned works are as follows to tide the centre over the next five years:

* Upgraded reception/entrance – improving access for all users including automatic doors, upgraded ramp, new reception desk

* Customer lift – providing access to 1st floor Gym for disabled users

* Pool hall refurbishment - upgrading lighting/ventilation and decoration of the pool hall area

* Remodelled male wet-side area including improved disability changing area and group change, new lockers and privacy cubicles

* Improved female wet-side changing area including improved disability changing area, new lockers and privacy cubicles

* New ground floor exercise studio

* Upgraded sports hall