A controversial South London leisure centre has gone millions over budget before construction has even started. The Kingfisher Leisure Centre has already been demolished to make way for a new facility in Kingston but a contractor to build it hasn't been appointed yet.

The new leisure centre is now estimated to cost £53 million, which is £13.4 million over the original budget of £39.6 million. The old Kingfisher was shut down in December 2019 due to structural issues with the roof which would have cost £5 million to fix.

Plans to bulldoze the Kingfisher were later approved by Kingston Council in March 2022 despite a petition backed by 3,800 locals to save it. The plans for the new centre were approved in May.

The council's corporate and resources committee was told on Tuesday (October 11) the tendering process to appoint a contractor for the new centre is about to begin and this would provide a firmer figure for the project.

A council report said the predicted total cost of the project has increased to £53 million based on the best current estimates but this could change. The report said: "Of the currently forecast £13.4 million overspend, £8 million is attributed to inflationary pressures and the rest to an increase to the contingency budget and additional costs for design development, [Community Infrastructure Levy] and carbon offset requirements."

Kingston residents quizzed councillors over the future of the leisure centre and when it is expected to open to residents at Tuesday's meeting. Lib Dem councillor Noel Hadjimichael said the earliest date would be the end of 2024 but that a "crystal ball" would be needed to state when it is most likely to open.

Conservative councillor Ian George said councillors on both sides expressed concerns when the decision to demolish the Kingfisher and "progress with a much cheaper pool than the one we're faced with now" was made.

He said: "I think most of us wanted a new pool but didn't necessarily support the demolition at that time because there was no certainty of where the money was coming from." He said there was concern about "potential rising costs" and that "by knocking down so early without a sound way of knowing where the money was coming from and the cost, would put the whip hand in the hands of big contractors who know we must build a new leisure centre". 

Other councillors praised the authority for its work on the project so far and said residents wanted to see it completed. Lib Dem councillor Kamala Kugan said the authority was "doing very well" at this stage and the authority is doing its best to give good value-for-money for taxpayers.

The committee was told the authority is facing an "extremely challenging" financial situation due to issues including rising inflation and that experienced officers were managing the council's projects.

The new leisure centre for the borough is set to include two swimming pools, a café, five-a-side rooftop football pitches and a climbing wall.