Push is on to inject more cash into ‘life-enhancing’ leisure facilities in Wandsworth

By Charlotte Lillywhite, Local Democracy Reporter

Leisure centres, parks and playgrounds in Wandsworth are in line for a £30million investment over the next five years.

The local authority has already approved a budget of £16.9m to maintain and improve leisure facilities in the borough and wants to add £30m more, bringing the total to £46.9m.

The council has put together a new leisure infrastructure plan, which aims to make its facilities more inclusive, accessible, affordable and sustainable to improve residents’ activity levels and mental health.

A report by council officers said the plan involves protecting and upgrading Wandsworth’s leisure facilities, including leisure centres, indoor venues, playing pitches, parks and playgrounds.

The report said: “The plan includes proposals to protect our leisure infrastructure, to maintain our existing facilities, ensure they are safe, compliant and can continue to attract visitors.

“Beyond this we have the ambitions to enhance our leisure infrastructure to yield several benefits, including increased participation and ensuring that all our residents can enjoy active, healthy lives and that our important leisure assets remain financially sustainable.”

The council previously committed £16.9m to carry out essential improvements across Wandsworth’s leisure centres and parks from 2024 to 2028.

The agreed works include installing accessible toilets and changing rooms at Balham and Putney leisure centres, along with upgrading air conditioning systems at Latchmere, Putney and Tooting leisure centres. Improvements to pitches and essential repairs to roads and paths are also included in the approved schemes.

The £30m plan includes £4m to improve Wandsworth’s playgrounds and £675,000 to deliver two outdoor mini pitches designed for football and other sports. The council will also investigate opening new full-size artificial 3G pitches and further upgrades to its leisure centres.

The installation of gym equipment in the borough’s parks is included in the plan, along with improving safety, lighting and seating at leisure facilities and investing in bike storage. The authority also aims to decarbonise its leisure centres and build more walking and cycling routes.

The council’s environment committee unanimously approved the plan on February 13. Labour councillor Judi Gasser, cabinet member for environment, said: “We need to protect our assets so that our residents can enjoy them, so they’re fit for purpose, and actually we need to enhance them.

“We need to be offering a lot more because we need to be competing against the professional gyms, the private gyms, and all that sort of thing.”

The council’s finance committee will decide whether to approve adding £30m to the budget to fund the leisure infrastructure plan on February 25.

Pictured top: Wandsworth council offices (Picture: LDRS/Charlotte Lillywhite)