For many years I have been tirelessly campaigning with local residents, local councillors and Mayor Jason Perry, for a brand new leisure centre in Purley, including a 6 lane 25m pool, and wider regeneration project.
You may recall that the previous Labour administration in Croydon closed the pool and shockingly refused to re-open it (in fact, the previous Labour council did not even bother to bid for Purley Pool for a share of the £100 million Government funding pot to re-open leisure centres after Covid).
A pool for Purley is essential. It was previously used by 11 local schools, many charities and local people of all ages.
Last year, I supported the long-overdue planning application for a new pool and leisure centre. Following local feedback, I’m pleased an updated application has been submitted for a planning decision in the coming weeks.
This includes a 6 lane 25m main pool, a training pool, an 80-station gym, fitness suite and studio space, as well as a café.
There will also be a new public square that can host events, such as markets, fayres and local festivals.
The new addition of a designated soft play zone in the café, as well as sensory play equipment for young children and families, is most welcome, alongside a 3,390 square foot enlargement of the leisure centre to make the gym and fitness studio bigger, plus some necessary changes including to the leisure centre changing areas.
The construction cost of the new pool and leisure centre will also be covered by the revenue from a housing scheme for older people, of 180 'later living' flats and 40 care home rooms, to for example help local down-sizers to free up family homes. 10% of the housing for older people will be 'affordable'.
So construction won’t cost taxpayers anything, but ownership and management of the leisure centre will still transfer to the Council once built.
The revised proposals contain 78 parking spaces, with a minimum of 50 being open to the public. While I would still like to see more parking, the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan's planning rules regrettably just will not allow it. The Mayor of London is fanatically anti-car. I am reassured that parking analysis has shown a shortfall of only 14 short-stay parking spaces at peak time, excluding Tesco car park.
I hope the Council will be able to approve this before the end of February. It would then get passed to the Mayor of London for final approval.
You can help make the case by responding to the planning consultation before Thursday 6th February at:
https://bit.ly/PurleyLeisureCentreConsultation
You can also sign my petition in this final push to show the level of local support at:
https://surveymonkey.com/r/PurleyLeisureCentrePetition
Please share this with as many friends, family and neighbours as you can, so that together we can make the strongest case for Purley pool to reopen as soon as possible.
