A petition to stop the demolition of Kingston's Kingfisher Leisure Centre has now achieved over 2,000 signatures.

The Change.org petition, set up by local resident Caroline Shah, comes after Kingston councillors voted to knock down the centre earlier this month.

Shah and the 2,144 signatories are calling for the demolition of the Kingfisher to be stopped until a legally binding commitment to replace its facilities has been agreed.

The Kingfisher centre is one of two public pools in Kingston upon Thames and has been closed since 2019 due to structural problems with its roof.

The centre and its neighbouring Cattle Market were also identified as potential areas for development in a consultation by Kingston Council back in 2017.

Last year the Liberal Democrat-led council announced that repairs to the Kingfisher building would cost over £5 million and take 18 months to complete.

They now plan to build a new leisure centre on the site as part of the wider Transform Kingston project.

But Shah and the petition's signatories are sceptical that the new leisure centre will be provided.

They are saying that the Kingfisher should not be knocked down without an approved planning application for a new site.

The signatories are demanding transparency over how the new centre will be funded, due to concerns that the neighbouring cattle market will be sold and turned into high rises to pay for it.

There are also fears that a generation of children in the borough will not learn how to swim after the pool is gone.

"We owe it to the children of the Borough at the very least to ensure that a swimming pool and all the facilities at The Kingfisher Leisure Centre are available for their use in the very near future," Shah wrote.

"After all, how can we know our children are safe if they decide to play by or go in the river unless they are confident swimmers? How can we safely be a riverside town without its own pool?"

Residents who signed the petition echoed her concerns.

Beverley O'Kelly from New Malden wrote: "I'm outraged at the council decision to demolish Kingston Leisure Centre, it's a vital part of the community.

"Children need to be able to learn to swim it might save their lives one day.!"

Maria Haider of Kingston upon Thames said: "There are many many unknowns and Kingston residents like myself deserve an open and honest outline of why such a big project is being undertaken when there are other more viable options.

"Something feels off about this and we are entitled to have some oversight on this matter."

Kingston councillor Jon Tolley resigned from the local Liberal Democrat party in protest at the decision earlier this month.

Tolley believes plans for the new leisure centre are not deliverable and the Council are rushing the new development.

"We need to be honest with people that if the (additional) Cattlemarket development nearby is going to come, there are going to have to be high rises in the area," he told the Surrey Comet.

"And if we commit to this, we are going to be in such a hurry to sell the assets to get the money to pay for this we're going to sell multiple council assets to the first buyer, because we'd need to sale (sic)."

Following news of the demolition, Kingston Council said: "The council is fully committed to providing a new community leisure facility as quickly as possible, understanding that the Kingfisher, especially the swimming pool, is much-valued locally.

"This is an opportunity to create a modern, accessible and sustainable leisure and sports centre and development that will benefit the whole community.

"To facilitate the development of the new facility, an application to demolish the existing building was submitted.

"Putting in a separate application for demolition allows the council to move more quickly to deliver a new state of the art facility for Kingston.

"Extensive consultation and engagement with residents and stakeholders is ongoing and to date there have been thousands of comments to help shape the future facility and what it should contain."

What are your thoughts on the Council's plans for the Kingfisher centre? Let us know - email [email protected]