Brook Drive spared years of construction lorry misery

At a public meeting on Wednesday, attended by Councillor Mark Harrison, developers of the Elephant & Castle Leisure Centre site confirmed that they were no longer planning to send construction traffic down Brook Drive during the three year development.

Residents had been horrified to learn that dozens of lorries a day were to be routed down Brook Drive - a narrow residential street with parking on both sides, width restrictions, and Victorian housing which has suffered serious problems with subsidence. The proposals would have caused serious disruption to Cycle Super Highway 7.

The developers have now relented and proposed other options, which mostly involve routing traffic down Oswin Street, over the border in Southwark.

London Assembly Member Val Shawcross has promised to explore further options with the developers and Transport for London to see what can be done to avoid construction traffic going down any residential streets in the area.

Elephant & Castle leisure centre consultation

Southwark Council is consulting residents about their plans to redevelop the leisure centre at Elephant & Castle. They plan to have a new leisure centre with 25m pool, along with a 30 or 40 storey tower.

You can attend the consultation this Monday and Tuesday at the leisure centre:

Monday 26 March, 12 noon to 8pm
Tuesday 27 March, 12 noon to 8pm

Or visit the website to find out more.

Southwark Labour approve plans for swimming pool at Elephant & Castle

A period of public consultation for the proposed new Elephant and Castle leisure facility took place between 23 August and 8 October 2010 when Southwark Council asked local residents and leisure centre users what amenities and services they would like to see in a possible new facility. This resulted in an outstanding 1,300 responses from residents, leisure centre users, schools, and special interest groups.

Six months into the new Labour administration, Southwark is making another major step forward for the regeneration of Elephant and Castle by giving the green light for a new swimming pool and leisure centre.

The consultation on new leisure facilities at the Elephant and Castle has been a huge success. What people said they really want is a new swimming pool. The next most popular facilities were a gym, exercise studio and sports hall.

In the light of the consultation results the Southwark Cabinet has given approval to progress plans for a new leisure facility with a six lane 25m swimming pool, a learner pool, a four court sports hall, a gym, an exercise studio, a crèche and a café.

The regeneration of Elephant and Castle is a priority for Southwark Council and they are determined to keep up the momentum and deliver the transformation that local residents deserve.

To see the full results of the consultation or if you have any questions about the proposed leisure facility please visit www.southwark.gov.uk/elephantleisure

A new pool at Elephant & Castle will be a fantastic facility for residents of Kennington. It will add to the swimming options for North Lambeth residents; who currently can use Brixton Rec, will be able to use a brand new pool in Clapham which opens in November 2011, and who can look forward to a new pool built as part of the Doon Street development on the South Bank. Residents of Vauxhall and the riverside might find that the Queen Mother Sports Centre over the river on Vauxhall Bridge Road is the most convenient swimming pool close by.

Consultation on refurbishing Elephant & Castle leisure centre

Southwark Council have launched a consultation on the future of the leisure centre at Elephant & Castle.

The centre is in need of refurbishment, and Southwark want to establish what facilities potential users of the centre would most value.

The centre is the closest leisure centre and swimming pool to most residents in Prince's ward.

Fill out the consultation here