New mayor says: ‘No decision yet on Britannia’s future’

A sculpture outside the Britannia Leisure Centre

Three campaign groups in the south of the borough have written to the new Mayor of Hackney urging him not to allow the Britannia Leisure Centre to be demolished, and a petition has been set up to try and save it.

Haggerston Park Users’ Group, Save Britannia Leisure Centre and Shoreditch Park Users’ Group said residents were “shocked and dismayed” to learn the centre in Hyde Road, Shoreditch, could be knocked down.

They say they have concerns about the possibility of “one, possibly two, schools” and a tower block containing “unaffordable flats” being constructed in place of the existing building.

Replying to the letter from the trio, Mayor Glanville said no decision had yet been taken on the future of the site, which is located on the fringes of Shoreditch Park.

Any options would be consulted on, he added.

Hackney Council’s land use plan earmarks the Britannia site for “mixed use re-development including leisure and residential”. But Glanville insisted this was merely “an indication of preferred uses” and was “not a prescriptive document”.

Under proposals that are still in the planning pipeline, a new City of London Academy secondary school looks likely to be built on the Britannia site.

However, the school would initially operate in “high quality temporary buildings” on the site of a former depot in Haggerston. This is itself contentious. Save Haggerston Park says it would amount to “privatisation” of what was historically parkland.

Glanville said the council had committed to ensuring all leisure facilities reached a “high standard” and said repairing and refurbishing the Britannia would be costly.

He added: “Britannia Leisure Centre was built in two phases in the 1970s and 1980s, with the dry side built first followed by the pool.

“This has resulted in multiple plant rooms and an inefficient building layout that is, unfortunately, not cost effective to operate.

“The mechanical and electrical systems need replacing and there are leaks from the health suite into the pool circulation area and from the swimming pool tanks into the surrounding ground.”

He said the design and layout of the existing building meant “facilities do not fully comply with current design guidance from Sport England”.

Run by contractor Better, the Britannia contains facilities including a gym, swimming pool, wave machine and squash courts.

Election counts have traditionally been held there.