A nine-year-old girl was among the Kingston residents to voice their concerns at the new timescale for the delayed Kingfisher leisure centre replacement, as reviewed plans for the complex were approved at Kingston Council's place committee last night.

Three months has passed since the authority were forced back to the drawing board after being told through a tendering process it would cost almost double (£79.5m) the £43.8m that had been put aside to deliver the Kingfisher replacement, and six residents were quick to express their lack of confidence in updated plans which will see the project being delivered at the earliest during the first quarter of 2027.

Caitlin McDonald was joined by her nine-year-old daughter who asked for Kingston Council's guarantee that she will be able to swim at the Kingfisher replacement by the time she is 12.

Cllr Andreas Kirsch responded by apologising to Ms McDonald's daughter that she has been unable to swim at the site since its closure in late 2019 and despite failing to offer a promise in return, stressed the council will be working 'as quickly as possible' to deliver the new leisure centre.

The leader of Kingston Council said: "I am really sorry that at the moment you can't swim at the site and that we had to close the old Kingfisher, and I am really sorry we couldn't go forward with the new plans. Being really honest with you, I cant guarantee that you will be able to swim at the Kingfisher when you are 12 but I can promise you we will do our upmost to aim to make it happen as soon as possible.

"We really want for you and everyone else in the borough to have a swimming pool and leisure centre the site and we will work to make it happen as soon as possible, we are making every effort to ensure it happens."

Under the new plans, Kingston Council has confirmed that building works will begin in 2025 with a forecasted construction period of 42 months including design, planning, procurement and construction.

With the aim for the new complex to open its doors by the first quarter of 2027, residents would have been waiting a total of eight years for the Kingfisher replacement.

Kingston resident Anna Gorrell questioned the committee on the specific steps that are being taken to ensure the new leisure centre is delivered in line with the new timeline, and the way financially strained schools have been supported in continuing to deliver swimming lessons.

Cllr Kirsch replied: "We have worked closely with our schools to ensure alternative provisions and we are going above and beyond to address those whose swimming has suffered during the pandemic. We are also in the early stages of looking at ways we as a council can do to support those whose swimming has suffered in this time.

"If things had been different in March we would have agreed with the contract and seen building work start, but unfortunately, we could not and re-looking at the plans takes some time. We promised our residents we would look at things with pace and as quickly as possible, we would have the facility mix by June and here we are tonight. We have a lot of provisions in place, step by step in terms of governance to ensure we deliver, including capable officers who have delivered on swimming provisions including the common wealth games."

Kingston resident Anna Gorrell addresses the Place Committee

Expressing her disapproval at Cllr Kirsch's response, and concern at the lack of detail revealing support measures that are in place, Ms Gorrell told Nub News: "The picture the Place Committee report and Cllr Kirsch's responses painted is one where most schools have found somewhere else to swim. Our reality as parents at a local primary school has been that swimming lessons have been dramatically cut back because of the cost of hiring coaches, and the difficulty of booking pool time. The fact is that most children in Kingston don't get to swim at all.

"I wanted some details tonight on the support Kingston Council is offering schools with the extra costs, and what they're doing to help disabled children and children from low-income families learn this vital life skill. We didn't get it. Whilst councillors were quick to vote to demolish the Kingfisher leisure centre, their delays, cost overruns and repeated broken promises are failing a generation of kids."

The new facility mix, which was approved by the Place Committee following residents questions and a debate by members of the council, includes an eight-lane swimming pool and teaching pool with spectator seating, as well as four court sports halls, studio spaces, a gym, squash courts, cycling studio and a cafe, all of which will be contained within a two-story building.

The current Kingfisher site

Prior to its approval, Cllr James Giles had tabled a recommendation to the updated report on Kingston's new leisure centre to include a temporary swimming facility in the borough and requested a full report to be brought forward to the Place Committee at the earliest convenience.

During a debate on the topic, Cllr Kirsch and Matthew Essex, Executive Director of Place, confirmed that discussions were ongoing regarding the possibility of a temporary pop-up pool to support schools who had struggled to arrange travel to the New Malden Leisure Centre. They claimed the installation of a larger temporary pool would not be wise due to the costs involved, estimated between £2m - £2.5m and a timescale of up to two years.

Cllr Giles' recommendation was rejected following a committee vote.

Following the overall approval of the facility mix paving the way for the procurement process to take place, Knights Park resident Mediha Boran voiced her concern in the lack of detail regarding a contingency plan if the minimum delivery target of quarter one of 2027 is not met.

Knights Park resident Mediha Boran speaking at Tuesday's Place Committee

Speaking to Nub News she said: "My primary concern is no longer limited to the loss of Kingfisher swimming facility in Kingston, but rather the absence of any pool within the borough beyond 2027. This is because, by the council's own definition, there is an acknowledged financial gap of £1.26m as things stand, and this may well increase as core inflation is expected to remain high over the period to 2025. Further interest rate rises are also expected, which will increase costs. Whilst some contingency has been provided, there is no hint as to where the £1.26m savings will be found. 

"So what happens if the worst case scenario happens? Wouldn't a temporary facility allow time for decision-making if things go wrong again? I did not get the answer I went to the Place Committee for, and I still don't know what their Plan B might be - or if, indeed, they have one."

The procurement process is now expected to begin which will see a design team completed by December 2023.

For further details on the updated plans and timescales, visit the link here.