Council Lets Slip Leisure Centre Decommissioning Plan
Report concludes Brentford Fountain facility 'at the end of its useful life'
Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre
August 25, 2024
A question mark has been raised over the future of the Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre after a document about its possible replacement was accidentally published.
A report into the centre on Chiswick High Road was included with the agenda papers for the Hounslow Council cabinet meeting due to take place on 3 September.
The report by Cllr Tom Bruce, Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Assets, Regeneration and Development, was requesting funding of nearly £1million for a feasibility study for options for the centre which was deemed to be ‘at the end of its useful life’.
An additional £285,000 was requested to address priority health and safety issues at the centre.
The analysis of the report will assume the centre is to be decommissioned and look at options for leisure provision in the borough ‘given the council’s overall financial constraints’. For the last two financial years the council has had to cover shortfalls in the budget of Lampton Leisure, its wholly owned company which operates leisure centres across the borough. This has struggled to meet financial targets in recent years due to a drop off in memberships during Covid-19 and rising costs particularly energy bills.
No commitment to retain a leisure centre at the site is contained in the report which says that the money requested for a feasibility study would deliver a more detailed analysis with six months “with a focus on wider review of built facilities and assessment of facility need, with input from communities, groups, and facility users.”
A borough-wide analysis of leisure provision would be made using Sport England methodology to establish whether the current number of leisure centres in the borough, including those with swimming pools was adequate.
There would also be an assessment of playing pitch provision as post of a comprehensive leisure and physical activity strategy
The Cabinet report was withdrawn on Saturday afternoon (24 August) and a statement issued by Cllr Bruce which said, “Unfortunately, a preliminary version of the report on the Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre was published too early and contained some gaps, which is why we've now taken it down to ensure that we present a comprehensive and fully developed report to the community in the October Hounslow Council cabinet meeting.
“While it is still very early days, we know that the current facility at Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre is reaching the end of its practical life, and that we need to start thinking about what comes next.
“We want the very best possible for our residents and the highest possible quality of development and built environment for Brentford, so that has to start with ensuring that any future development meets the needs of the community, centre users, and staff.
“We will be consulting and engaging with all stakeholders in a variety of ways over the next few months and this includes our Let’s Talk engagement portal to get your views on what you envisage for a new facility, and I would urge you to fill it out and have your say.”
There has been speculation about the future of the centre for nearly a decade with a number of abortive plans for its replacement being made. A council cabinet meeting in 2016 was told that the centre, which was opened in 1988, would not be fit for purpose in a few years. A £68 million development in partnership with London and Quadrant was proposed in 2017 with the current site being turned into flats and the leisure centre moving to the adjacent Citroen site on Capital Interchange Way.
The 2.2 acre site that the centre occupies including the car park was valued at £3.85 million in 2009. Most of the sites around it have been developed or are in the process of being developed.
The cabinet meeting in September is also due to consider reductions in spending on Council Tax Support to low-income households to save £4 million per annum and reduce a £30 million annual deficit
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