Marylebone leisure centre can Seymour of a future with imminent £42m revamp

By Ben Lynch, Local Democracy Reporter

A leisure centre has been closed in preparation for a major multi-million-pound revamp due to begin later this year.

Westminster City council is planning to turn Seymour Leisure Centre into a ‘multi-purpose, mixed-use community facility’, with a new café and permanent home for the Marylebone Library among the designs.

Approval for the works at the Seymour Place centre was granted by the council’s planning committee last July, with public consultations having been held since 2021.

Currently, the three-storey 1930s building is home to facilities including a five-court sports hall and a swimming pool. A council document, however, describes there being ‘a number of underused and redundant spaces’, with ‘urgent’ improvements required.

As well as the café and relocated library, the proposed works include a children’s soft play area, an upgrade to the sports hall and bookable community spaces.

The redevelopment will also contribute towards some of the council’s environmental policies, such as becoming a net zero city by 2040, with improvements to be made to its heating, temperature and ventilation.

To prepare for the works, the council said the leisure centre was shut towards the end of February.

The works on the leisure centre are due to begin this summer, with a target completion date of early 2026.

Pictured top: The proposed redevelopment of the Seymour Leisure Centre includes a new café, an upgrade to the sports hall and a permanent home for the Marylebone Library (Picture: Westminster CC)