£13m leisure centre proposed for Lewisham
Three redevelopment proposals for Forest Hill Pools are due to be the subject of a public consultation this April in Lewisham, London.
Lewisham Council's shortlisted leisure centre options come from HLM Architects, Allies + Morrison and Pollard Thomas Edwards architects. It is the second round of consultations to be held on the development, after the council was forced to rethink designs last year. The adjacent Louise House received a Grade II listing by English Heritage making it no longer affordable to build a two-pool leisure centre on the site.
A final decision on the redevelopment of Forest Hill Pools will be made by the mayor in the summer. According to the council there are two options: either postpone the development until 2012 in the hope further funding can be found, which means the earliest it can be completed is late 2015, or proceed now and build the centre on Willow Way (400m from the current site), with funding provided in part from a housing development bringing the completion date to late 2011. HLM are proposing the redevelopment of the Forest Hill Pools on its existing site and accompany it with housing, demolishing the victorian frontage. While Allies + Morrison submitted similar designs but retaining the frontage and included moving the commercial and housing aspect to Willow Way. Pollard Thomas Edwards intend to switch the site, hosting the leisure centre on Willow Way and the housing development on the site of the existing pools.All three projects are estimated to cost between £11m to £13m.