Canada Water pool closure leaves south London swimming club struggling

A south London swimming club says it is losing members and money after a newly opened council pool shut within weeks, with the Canada Water pool closure disrupting training for young athletes.

Southwark Aquatics Swimming Club said the eight-lane pool at Canada Water Leisure Centre, which opened in September after months of delays, closed again on 13 October following a maintenance problem and has yet to reopen. The club says the impact has been immediate and damaging.

Andy Moore, chairman of the volunteer-run club, said membership had fallen by about 10 per cent since the closure, with families struggling to travel to alternative pools up to seven miles away.

“The closure is a massive step down,” he said.

“The athletes who compete through the club are recognised as some of the fittest and healthiest in the country, and suddenly they are being asked to train wherever they can.”

The disruption has fed through to competition results. Moore said the club recorded its lowest number of entrants at county championships in more than a decade, reversing progress made during the centre’s first weeks of operation.

“We were really pleased. The first six weeks went really well,” he said. “It was attracting new swimmers to the club, but when the pool closed it had the opposite effect.”

Southwark Aquatics Swimming Club trains swimmers aged eight to 15 and is run by parents and volunteers. Its members have gone on to compete at county, regional and national level. Before moving to Canada Water, the club was based at Seven Islands Leisure Centre, which has since closed to make way for the new development.

Moore estimates the club’s income is down by around £500 a month. Some members have left entirely, while others are paying reduced fees because the club can only offer a partial training programme.

“In some ways we are actually paying more,” he said. “Our coaches are travelling further, and we are paying them for two hours even when they are only able to coach for one.”

Southwark Council had designated the club as the principal competitive users of the new pool, a move that was intended to support long-term grassroots sport in the area. The loss of access has left the club reliant on borrowed pool time elsewhere.

The council said the pool closed after contractors identified an additional fault while replacing parts of the air handling unit. Engineers are still assessing when the work can be completed safely.

In a statement, the council said it was waiting for confirmation from contractors before setting a reopening date and would share updates once they were received.

Richard Leeming, Southwark Council’s deputy cabinet member for leisure and sport, described the closure as a setback for both users and the council.

“We understand the disappointment surrounding this,” he said. “However, the health and safety of our residents is our priority.”

Leeming said leisure centre members had been offered the option to freeze their memberships while repairs continue, adding that the council was working to reopen the pool as soon as possible.

Canada Water Leisure Centre forms part of the wider Canada Water regeneration scheme, a large-scale redevelopment being delivered in partnership with the council and private investors. While the main pool remains closed, other facilities at the centre, including a sports hall, gym, studios and a learner pool, remain open.

Details of the wider redevelopment sit within the planning framework overseen by the local authority and development partners, as set out in the Canada Water Masterplan.

For Southwark Aquatics Swimming Club, the concern is that the longer the closure continues, the harder it will be to rebuild momentum.

“Swimming relies on routine,” Moore said. “Once that routine is broken, especially for young athletes, it is very difficult to get it back.”

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