When the Canada Water Leisure Centre opened last year we questioned whether new members were really getting more for less with the revamp.
The council hiked gym memberships in 2025 after refurbishing several centres, with the cost of a standard membership rising from £31.99 a month to £43.99.
The price of the lowest-tier membership went up to £36.99, up from £26.99 – but whereas that previously would have granted access to all five of the council-run centres, including Seven Islands, it now excludes Canada Water.
But in defence of the new centre, which opened in September after months of delays, the facilities it promised were excellent: a new gym, sports court, dozens of exercise classes, and of course a brand new 25-metre swimming pool with eight lanes, in addition to a separate smaller pool (even though Seven Islands boasted a popular 33-metre pool).
Barely a month had elapsed, however, until the new pool closed indefinitely because of a fault; four months later, it’s still shut and we still don’t know when it will reopen again.
The council has done the right thing by suspending memberships; without the pool, members were indeed paying more than they did at Seven Islands for substantially less, although the loss of revenue from membership fares will come at a cost to the council.
There are other questions which remain unanswered; why has the pool been beset by maintenance issues so early on – and when will it be open for swimming again?