London Pools Campaign: LB Camden

Fury as sports centre is given to squatters

webteam — Sun, 16 Sep 2007 04:52:25 GMT

"PROFESSIONAL squatters have been handed the keys to a groundbreaking sports centre that closed because of budget cuts by Camden Council.

The Jubilee Waterside Centre in King's Cross shut after 30 years when its £64,000 annual grant was cut this year. "

(Via Hampstead and Highgate Express - Fury as sports centre is given to squatters: .)

Swiss Cottage Controversial pool open to public

webteam — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 06:47:56 GMT

"A controversial £85m redevelopment in north London has opened to the public.
Replacing the existing swimming baths, the centre in Swiss Cottage boasts a theatre, library, gym, swimming pool and 22 affordable homes."

(Via BBC NEWS | England | London | Controversial pool open to public: .)

Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre now open

webteam — Wed, 22 Mar 2006 23:03:57 GMT

"Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre is now completed. The phased opening of the leisure centre for public use begins on Monday 20 March 2006.There are many launcevents taking place during March."

(Via Camden Council Camden Council: Swiss Cottage Leisure Centre: .)

The Swiss Cottage pool non-option - From Save Ladywell site

webteam — Mon, 13 Mar 2006 18:22:55 GMT

It seems that we were not the only ones to read into the detail of the Ham and High article on Swiss. The Ladywell site can see worrying parallels with what might happen in a 'blurred' Lewisham [LINK].

Ham & High - Camden News - Back in the swim at Swiss:
...The 25-metre competition-length pool is smaller than the original 33-yard metre pool.
Last month the council announced its £175 swim cards will no longer be available from April 1.
The cheapest membership deal will instead be the £480 Wellness scheme
Fiona Deane, Camden's assistant director of culture, said: "This is on a par with facilities in the private sector. We are blurring the distinction between public and private facilities....

...Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), which took over the contract to manage Camden's leisure centres last April, will split profits beyond a target level with the council..."

A more cynical person might wonder why Kentish Town Baths were put 'into play' recently just as these proposals were nearing the time for their publication.

(Via save Ladywell Pool The Swiss Cottage pool non-option: .)

Back in the swim at Swiss

webteam — Sun, 12 Mar 2006 06:46:47 GMT

"AFTER four years without a pool residents will celebrate the opening of the revamped Swiss Cottage sports centre this month. The £27million centre, designed by world-famous architect Terry Farrell, opens for tours from 10am next Saturday, and for sport th"

(Via Ham and High Express Back in the swim at Swiss: .)

Camden the 'sick man' of London

webteam — Thu, 03 Nov 2005 09:35:36 GMT

"SHOCKING health figures show Camden is one of the sickest parts of the country."
"The report pulls no punches," said John Carrier, chairman of Camden's PCT. "Smoking, alcohol excess, lack of exercise, obesity, teenage pregnancy and homelessness are all ongoing challenges.
"However much the PCT does to remedy the conditions that cause ill health in Camden, much will also depend on the ability of the population to change their behaviour from health damaging to health improving. The PCT aims to help people make those healthy choices."
In a separate report to Camden council's executive last month, assistant chief executive Philip Colligan, admitted Camden was the "sick man" of London.
"There are significant inequalities in the levels of exercise undertaken by black and ethnic minority residents and older people as compared with other parts of the population.

(Via Camden Chronicle Camden the 'sick man' of London: .)

Oh and remember to check out the Kentish Town Baths pages on this website.

KENTISH TOWN SWIM BATH BACKLASH HITS CAMDEN COUNCIL

webteam — Fri, 21 Oct 2005 21:59:14 GMT

"PRESSURE was last night (Wednesday) growing on the (CAMDEN) Town Hall to come clean over its plans for the historic Prince of Wales swimming baths as campaigners geared up to fight any closure plan.
Anxious users inundated the New Journal with letters and phone calls this week after council chiefs refused to categorically rule out closure.
Author Hunter Davies and Fiona Millar, the former Number 10 press aide and partner of Tony Blair's former spin chief Alastair Campbell, added their voices to the growing concern.
Ms Millar, a governor of Gospel Oak school, who took the government to task two years ago over school funding cuts, warned that pupils would lose out if the baths, opened in 1901, closed.
"ALL the schools throughout Camden use it," she said. "It is so important. I know pupils at Parliament Hill and William Ellis (schools in Highgate) rely on it. I hope the council find the cash. It's part of our heritage. "

(Via Camden Islington & West End - News Reviews Listings: .)

Historic baths ‘face closure’

webteam — Tue, 18 Oct 2005 18:43:19 GMT

Pool cash crisis
LABOUR party chiefs admitted last night (Wednesday) that their pledge to refurbish Kentish Town swimming baths could fall apart due to spiralling costs.
Stumped councillors said they could not guarantee that funding would be available to save the crumbling sports centre in Prince of Wales Road.
They are now investigating the possibility of building homes behind the 100-year-old pool and selling them off to a property developer to raise cash for the urgently needed improvements.
But such a deal would still cost around £17 million – spending that nobody at the Town Hall is willing to commit to. Leisure chief Councillor Phil Turner told a cabinet meeting last night (Wednesday): “It is still a fantastic amount of money to keep the centre going. We can not make a commitment to spend that kind of money.”"

(Via Camden Islington & West End - News Reviews Listings: .)

"The Sport England sports facility calculator (SFC) helps you to estimate the amount of key community sports facilities required to meet the needs of the local population." It says Camden requires 2,179.65 sq.m. of water which is 41.03 Lanes or 10.26 pools.

More than £2.4 billion is lying idle in the National Lottery's reserves because distributors are overly cautious about committing funds to community projects, a committee of MPs has said.

Camden Council: Next step for Kentish Town sports centre

webteam — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 21:38:02 GMT

"Camden residents will soon have chance to give their views on a possible design for redeveloping Kentish Town Sports Centre.
The proposed design would create top quality modern leisure facilities, renovate the existing building and provide much-needed new and affordable housing. Camden Council's Executive selected this option from a short-list of three last night (12 October). The Executive agreed to further investigate the feasibility and affordability of this suggested scheme. A public consultation, asking local residents, sports clubs and other members of the local community for their feedback on the proposal will be launched over the next couple of months.

The suggested design for the centre on Prince of Wales Road NW5 would include a new and enhanced gym, changing rooms, three exercise studios and health area, as well as completely renovating the building. Housing would be created within the building and on a separate piece of land behind, to provide 26 new flats, 50 per cent of which would be affordable housing. "

(Via Camden Council: Next step for Kentish Town sports centre: .)

Sports firm quits Camden

webteam — Sat, 15 May 2004 17:26:34 GMT

CAMPAIGNERS fighting for Camden Council to regain control of its sports centres came a step closer to their goal this week when the company that runs all but one of them announced plans to pull out of the borough. Holmes Place has confirmed it will not seek to renew its contract with the Town Hall to run the Swiss Cottage, Oasis, Kentish Town and Mornington Sports Centres when it runs out next April. The leisure giant has been in Camden since 1996 but has failed to turn a profit over the last two years. Its decision, welcomed by sports campaigners, "is part of a change in the organisation's corporate strategy" to stop running local authority centres nationwide, a Holmes Place spokesman said.