Council Dismisses Brentford Fountains Closure Rumours
Says leisure centre set for phased reopening from November
The water slide at Brentford Fountains Leisure Centre
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Hounslow Council has categorically denied that there is a plan to close the Fountains Leisure Centre in Brentford.
There had been increased speculation about the facility’s future during the much delayed announcement of the reopening of centres across the borough. Claims were being made that the failure to come to a satisfactory arrangement with Fusion Lifestyle was partly due to complications arising over the closure arrangements for Fountains Leisure Centre.
Concerns increased when the report presented to Hounslow Council’s Cabinet about the future of leisure centres in the borough was not made available to the public.
At the same time approval was given by the Secretary of State Robert Jenrick for the development of the Citroen garage site on Capital Interchange Way. This leaves the Fountains site as the last plot to be developed in this area.
A Hounslow Council cabinet meeting in 2016 was told that the 30-year-old facility would not be fit for purpose in another few years.
Hounslow Council did consider a £68 million redevelopment of the centre back in 2017 with funding provided the sale of the site to developers and moving the facility to the adjacent Citroen site with housing above which would have been developed in partnership with London and Quadrant. It was planned to complete the new centre by 2021 but the scheme fell through.
The 2.2 acre site where the centre is situated, which also includes a car park, would be of considerable value if released for residential use, way above its last valuation of £3.85million in 2009.
However the Council is insistent that there are no plans to develop the site.
Cllr Samia Chaudhary, Cabinet Member for Leisure services at Hounslow Council said, “Rumours that the Brentford Fountain Leisure Centre will be closed are unfounded.
“The Cabinet report, whilst confidential, did not recommend the closure of Brentford Fountain. It was agreed that our Leisure Centres will transfer to Lampton 360, the council’s wholly owned company. This will take effect from 1 November and our sites will open on a phased basis after this.”
It is hoped that placing the centre under the management of a company wholly owned by the council will improve the offering to residents from that provided by Fusion Lifestyle. According to one user of the centre some of the issues were the roof leaking, unusable lockers, security issues, staff shortages resulting in cancelled swimming lessons, broken or filthy gym equipment, no lights in the showers and inconsistent pool or air temperatures. Despite all the problems listed, she said that membership fees continued to increase ever year.
Hounslow Council was asked last year to authorise the necessary improvements and increased maintenance and they pledged to ensure corrective actions are undertaken.
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September 18, 2020
