A South London borough's only public swimming pool will temporarily close next month for maintenance.

Kingston Council said it does not take the closure of the swimming pool hall at the Malden Centre lightly, but it is necessary so the essential works can be carried out safely.

The pool in New Malden will close for three weeks on September 16, reopening on October 7, to allow planned surveys and maintenance works to be completed.

The rest of the centre will remain open as usual.

Members will be able to use swimming pools in other boroughs during this time by showing their membership card to staff.

The sites that will be available are Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Complex, Putney Leisure Centre, Tooting Leisure Centre and Hurst Pool.

The Malden Centre has the only council-owned pool in the Kingston borough, after the closure of the Kingfisher Leisure Centre in December 2019.

The pool in New Malden will close for three weeks on September 16 (image via Google Maps)

The Kingfisher originally shut for routine maintenance, but the closure became permanent after it was decided repairs to fix the roof would cost more than £5 million.

The council pledged to build a replacement leisure centre on the site, which it initially said would be built by late 2024.

It demolished the Kingfisher in late 2022, only to discover the design of the proposed replacement was too expensive after a tendering process to appoint a contractor for the project returned a figure of £79.5 million – much higher than the approved budget of £44.5 million.

The council consulted in July on new designs for the leisure centre, drawn up by architects Roberts Limbrick, and plans to submit a planning application for the revised scheme in autumn. It has appointed construction partner Pellikaan to carry out the works, which will not be completed until at least 2027.

But the delays have already left residents without a leisure centre on the site for more than four-and-a-half years. This means the Malden Centre has the only remaining public swimming pool in the borough, which will be temporarily unavailable due to the upcoming maintenance works.

A Kingston Council spokesperson said: "Due to the age of the much-loved Malden Centre, survey work and maintenance are occasionally required to ensure that the facilities continue to be fit for purpose, and can be enjoyed by our residents for years to come.

"The temporary closure of any of our facilities is not taken lightly, but these planned surveys and maintenance work are essential, and the pool needs to be closed for this short period to allow the works to be carried out in a safe manner.

"The rest of the centre will remain open as usual, with the gym and group workout classes operating as normal, and we thank everyone for their patience."