Ex-Lib Dem councillor calls Kingfisher leisure centre update 'expectations management' as Kingston council avoids clear timeline.  

Jon Tolley, who resigned as a Lib Dem councillor back in September 2021 due to concerns of the council's handling the Kingfisher, told Nub News: "The update isn't really an update...the update is 'just to let you know we haven't forgotten about it'." 

At the end of a press release on leisure facilities published 20 November, Kingston Council announced: "The new facility continues to make steady progress with procurement of the design and multidisciplinary teams now complete." 

Residents complained on social media about the council's definition of "steady progress" as the Kingfisher shut back in 2019 after it was decided repairs to fix the roof would cost more than £5m. 

Proposals to bulldoze the centre were green-lit in March 2022, despite no plans for its replacement in place, with demolition completed later that year. 

"Thing that is most disingenuous is that there is still no timeline," Tolley said. "That's been the problem all the way through. No one has been honest about how long it will take." 

A thread on X, formerly Twitter, Norbiton councillors on the Norbiton Focus username said: "Building work is targeted to begin in 2025." 

Within official documents presented at a June committee meeting this year, Kingston Council confirmed the forecasted length of the project including design, planning, procurement and construction will consist of 42 months. 

Subject to the updated plans being approved, "this would see a new facility being available for public use in quarter one, 2027". This is a mere eight years after the Kingfisher was closed. 

"I said when my kid was born she'd probably be a six-year-old by the time she got to swim in Kingston," Tolley stated. "That was wrong. Best case scenario she will be eight." 

He added: "It will be a decade of people in the town centre, and the wider borough, who don't have that facility." 

The delayed leisure centre has disadvantaged people on lower incomes most. Nearby swimming pools can be accessed as part of a monthly gym membership at: Nuffield Health (£77-110) Places of Leisure Malden Centre (£24) and David Lloyd gym (£94-129).  

Jon Tolley joined residents of the Kingston community in a protest at Kingston Council's corporate and resources committee back in March by dressing up in swimming gear (Credit: Bobby Vasilev/BobbyVMedia)

Cllr Alison Holt, Portfolio Holder for Economic Development & Leisure, said: "One of our key priorities is to create a borough where all of our residents have the opportunity to enjoy the facilities we have to offer. Taking part in things they love, dipping their toe into something they might like or just trying something completely new, is an important part of that." 

Tolley told Nub News: "I would just like some honesty...The line is: 'We're going to start work in 2025.' It's not dishonest, it's just not the main thing that people want to know. They want to know they can take their toddler to splash about in a pool."  

Explaining why he left the council, Tolley said he couldn't be part of the "Kabal of lies" as the new Kingfisher was not going to be built to time or to budget. 

The replacement facility won planning permission in May but in March of this year, the council revealed it had been forced back to the drawing board after being told through a tendering process it would cost £79.5m, almost double the £43.8m that had been put aside for the project. 

Current land for the Kingfisher. (Photo: Nub News)

Tolley argued the council needs to learn lessons from the handling of the Kingfisher, that it is not just about listening to residents but having a conversation on what is realistic and achievable in budget. 

He added: "It's not about Olympic swimming or professional standard facilities. It's about leisure facilities for kids and children." 

Current plans for the new leisure centre include an eight-lane pool, a teaching pool with spectator seating, four-court sports hall, studios, gym, squash courts and a café. It also aims to create a wellbeing suit and a spa facility, alongside a soft play area.   

"Until something is actually committed to, it's not progress yet," Tolley said. "I look forward to a substantial update in due course." 

Alliance Leisure has delivered over 230 leisure developments across the country. The council has also appointed Architect Roberts Limbrick - "a leading contributor to the design of commercial and public leisure facilities for over 25 years" - has also been appointed. 

Kingston council's press release said over the coming months, the council's design team will speak with community stakeholders and potential future users to check the new design meets their needs.   

Early next year, the council said it is planning to hold a few public sessions, with a more detailed design and potential layout going wider in the spring.