Swimmers and sauna users at Seven Kings Baths and Fulwell Cross Baths in Redbridge
contacted London Pools Campaign for support when Redbridge Council suddenly
announced that they planned to demolish Seven Kings Baths and put flats on
the site, make
major changes to Fulwell Cross centre and build a new pool in the centre of
Ilford. The main complaint from users of both centres was the lack of consultation about
the decision making.

The concerns swimmers and sauna users listed are:

1. that the new leisure centre will offer less
   pool space than the existing Seven Kings Baths
2. that the new leisure centre is intended to
   have a main competition pool and a learner pool in the same area, which
   compares unfavourably
   with the second separate pool at Seven Kings which allows for activities
   like women only sessions and use by schools and clubs – and generally will
   offer
   less flexibility
3. that Seven Kings will lose a much loved historic
   leisure facility
4. that traditional steam rooms will be lost
   from Fulwell Cross
5. that the competition pool at Fulwell Cross
   will lose its seating (and so not be able to function as a competition
   pool)
6. that recent surveyors report estimated Seven
   Kings Baths would cost £300,000 to renovate, so is the new plan the
   best value for the charge payer?
7. that the possibility of building flats and
   further leisure facilities above the car park adjacent to Seven Kings has
   not been addressed
8. that  the potential of renovating Seven
   Kings Baths as a major facility has not been examined
9. that Seven Kings is always the poor relation
   from whom facilities are taken away and given to Ilford  – the library
   was cited
10. that the site at Seven Kings is deemed to be in
    a less well off area and the council therefore views it as less suitable
    for a
    new leisure centre than the centre of Ilford
11. that the loss of car parking will threaten the
    activities at the Cricklefied Stadium and athletics track and youth centre
    adjacent to Seven
    Kings Baths
12. that local people understood that the car park
    land was part of a bequest to the people of Ilford along with the Cricklefield
    Playing
    Field 
13. that the new pool in Ilford Town Centre will add
    to traffic problems there
14. that the new leisure centre at Ilford will have
    restricted parking, particularly for coaches – yet is intended to house
    the main competition
    pool for the borough
15. that train links are better for Seven Kings Baths
    than they would be at the proposed Ilford facility
16. that the council’s unitary development plan identifies
    the land earmarked for the new leisure centre for a new park

Next meeting of the pool users group is 6:30pm April 20th at Seven Kings Baths

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