Lewisham Council have announced plans to demolish Ladywell Leisure Centre in 2007 - though it has just undergone a £1.8million refurbishment.  After a summer of gathering of strength, the Save Ladywell Pool Campaign is now looking for answers from Lewisham Council. In the next week there's a packed schedule of events.

On Wednesday 8th September at 5 pm exhibition opening at the Life Café  and Masons bar in Ladywell road, just off Ladywell train station - titled Pools Now and Then - this is a photo exhibition of London's closed and threatened pools and is also an event in support of the London Pools Campaign. 

On the same day, at 7 pm the third public meeting of the campaign will take place at the Ladywell Leisure Centre. This meeting will mainly focus on the organization of the events of the following week.

On Wednesday 15th September the campaign organises a protest march.

Here's the timetable of the event.

• At 6 pm assembly outside the Ladywell Leisure Centre.
• At 6:30 the demonstration starts moving towards Catford Town Hall (less then a mile).
• At 7 the group will have reached the Town Hall ready to greet the councillors.
• At 7:30 at the full Council meeting the Mayor of Lewisham will be presented with the petition  signatures (3000 by now) and the Council will listen to a question from the public posed by a campaign  spokesman. A motion from the opposition councillors asking the Council to reverse their decision about the  planned closure of the Ladywell Leisure Centre will then be voted.

The Save Ladywell Pool Campaign say "We need everyone to come along to put as much pressure as possible on the overwhelming Labour majority in Lewisham Council".

More information from  ladywellpool@hotmail.com

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| Ladywell Leisure Centre | 6 September 2004; 4:44:33 PM |# | | Discuss |

Clissold Leisure Centre in Stoke Newington, cost £32 million to build - instead of the initial plan of £7.5 million, and was open for just 20 months. It was closed for health and safety reasons due to major structural faults in November 2003. The Architects Journal reports that Clissold architect Stephen Hodder has employed his own structural engineers and cost consultants in a move that will compete directly with the Hackney Council's investigation. Hodder told the AJ that he has been left out in the cold by the council regarding the building's defects and is determined to find the real reason for its closure - 'We are going to have a look in the building and find out what has really gone wrong - at the moment we are being told absolutely nothing by the council. How can our architectural detailing have caused the building to be closed for so long? We do not even know for a fact that the problems are as a result of the construction'. Most recently Mr Hodder has told the AJ that there is no reason for the centre to be closed. More info on http://www.clissoldleisure.com ...more ---> ...

| pools at risk | 6 September 2004; 3:51:35 PM |# | | Discuss |

London Pools Campaign wrote to Hillingdon Council to ask about the future of Uxbridge Lido.  Cllr Solveig Stone, Cabinet Member fo Education Youth and Leisure wrote in response that the council intends to bring the lido back into full use as "a fully integrated part of the new sports and leisure complex that will entail the restoration of the exiting grandstand, cascades, entrance guilding, lido pool and surrounds".  This would be alongside a "state of the art" leisure facility including an indoor 25m 8 lane pool.   They are currently preparing the planning application. 

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| pools at risk | 6 September 2004; 3:50:39 PM |# | | Discuss |

The London Fields User group have spent 3 years developing a proposal to re-open the lido, working with the Environment Trust and Market Sports.  This would cost Hackney nothing, but the partnership cannot progress without the lease of the site - which the council say they cannot discuss until their parks strategy is published in October.

Meantime Hackney Council have announced they are spending £25,000 on a report on London Fields Lido*, without consultation with the user group.  Mike Martin, chair of the London Fields User Group says "We have, with our partners just been through a 4 months long struggle to try and convince the Council to allow the redevelopment of the London Fields Lido. We required permission and a lease before the end of March to obtain funding from Sport England before their cut off date. This process has run out and we can do nothing further until the Council has been through yet another expensive internal review and reappraisal of strategic plans for future parks development.  This is the fourth Strategy for Parks and Open Spaces in 10 years". ...more ---> ...

| London Fields Lido | 6 September 2004; 3:50:04 PM |# | | Discuss |