Consultation on the closure of Purley Leisure Centre

The council is proposing to close the leisure centre in Purley that has been losing money and has rising multi-million-pound repair costs.

Purley – the oldest of the five leisure centres in the borough - closed in line with government guidance during the pandemic, and has since been unable to reopen because the age and condition of the equipment means the building cannot comply with new government Covid-19 health and safety laws on ventilation.

It is estimated to cost around £200,000 to fix the immediate problem and replace the air handling unit, but it would need more than £3 million to bring the centre up to a safe and modern standard. As the centre does not provide value for money, this is not a possible option, and we have therefore made the decision to close the centre.

Croydon has five other Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) / Better leisure centres each providing a wide range of services for all residents. In recent years, the council has invested in new leisure centres in the south of the borough in Waddon and New Addington. These modern and accessible leisure centres are two miles and six miles from Purley respectively and both have direct bus routes from Purley.

We would like to hear from residents, businesses and centre-users on this decision, the impact they feel it will have on them and the community, and ideas for how we can improve access to other facilities in the borough. The consultation closes on Tuesday 23 November.

If you'd like any of this information in a different format, contact leisure.consultation@croydon.gov.uk.

Responses to this consultation were discussed at a Cabinet meeting on 24 January 2022. A summary of the feedback from the consultation and the recommendations from the meeting can be found on the council's website.