First look at new Kingston leisure center designs after plans go £35m over budget

Plans for a new leisure center in south London have finally been unveiled after initial plans were scrapped as too expensive. The new facility is to replace the Kingfisher Leisure Center in Kingston town centre, which closed in 2019 after it was decided repairs to repair the roof would cost more than £5 million.

Kingston Council demolished the Kingfisher at the end of 2022 and previously said its replacement would be built on the same site by the end of 2024. But it abandoned those plans last year after a tender process to appoint a contractor for the project failed returned a sum of £79.5 million – far more than the approved budget of £44.5 million. A council report in March said the estimated cost of the revised scheme was £44.9m, although this may change as it progresses.

The authority confirmed in January that it had appointed Alliance Leisure to oversee the revised project, working with architects Roberts Limbrick. It has now unveiled new designs from Roberts Limbrick for the planned leisure centre, in a two-storey building, and announced Pellikaan as its construction partner for the project.

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The revised plans include an eight-lane swimming pool with seating for 150 spectators and a teaching pool, a four-court sports hall, two squash courts, a gymnasium, a group cycling studio and three studio spaces. It will also have a spa suite with sauna and steam room, cafe, upgraded play area in Fairfield East and new pedestrian routes.

The council said it brought Pellikaan on board much earlier in a “significant change from the previous project” to provide “better assurances on cost and schedule as the project progresses to completion.” The authority added that it had made “rapid progress on the design of a new affordable leisure center for downtown Kingston”.

The scheme has been hit by further delays since the unveiling of the new designs, however, due to Chief Minister Rishi Sunak announcing that the general election will be held on July 4. The council said it had to follow “strict rules” regarding the use of resources. in the run-up to the election, meaning it postponed events it had scheduled to begin on May 30, giving residents a chance to provide feedback on the new designs.

It means online consultation on the new designs will instead start on July 8, with engagement events taking place the following week. The council will confirm the revised dates and how to get involved after the general election has taken place.

Lib Dem councilor Alison Holt, portfolio holder for leisure, said the unveiling of the new designs and the appointment of a construction partner were “significant milestones in delivering a leisure center that meets the highest standards of quality, sustainability and affordability “. She said the council was “going through all the necessary processes to get the project going as quickly as possible”.

The council will appoint a leisure operator to manage the facility on its behalf. An opening date is to be announced in due course.

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