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Labour’s Leisure Liner Leaves Late
January 17, 2012 10:38 AM
With all the expected fanfares, Labour's much-delayed Streatham Hub Leisure project with Tesco is, apparently, finally under way. We wish it well.
Streatham badly needs this rebuilt ice rink and leisure centre to restore some of Streatham's lost pride and provide much needed state-of-the-art leisure facilities for the area's rapidly increasing population.
That's why Liberal Democrats pushed so hard with Tesco (owner of the Ice Rink and Bus Garage) for a joint venture to replace the aging and run-down leisure facilities. That's why a scheme was devised whereby Tesco agreed to open the new leisure facilities in advance of even building their new store.
That scheme also allowed continuity of ice-skating in the original rink without any disruptive move to Brixton because the new Leisure Centre would be built alongside.
And it was on that basis that planning permission was given way back in 2003.
When Labour came back into power down at the Town Hall in 2006, they could have easily moved this agreed plan forward. Instead they just sat on their hands.
With the 2010 local election looming, the lack of progress looked embarrassing. So the agreement with Tesco was torn up and the Council allowed Tesco to save more money and demolish the whole site in one go. And somewhere along the line Tesco got an even bigger superstore approved.
Labour is crowing that this desperate action has saved three years and that the old scheme would have meant no leisure centre in place until 2017. Except that under various Labour promises since 2006, the Streatham Leisure centre would have been built any time between 2010 and 2014. So someone cannot add up.
The grand classical façade of the Streatham Swimming pool built in the 1920s -by Wandsworth Council it should be noted - is now consigned to history and the demolition trucks. Soon the striking Art Deco façade of an Ice Arena that was known nationally, and put Streatham on the map, will suffer a similar fate.
It remains to be seen whether the replacement building will engender such affection or, indeed, stand as proudly alongside its supermarket neighbours.
However, the die is now cast. At least we will have new swimming and skating facilities again in Streatham.
We just wish that Labour had made up their minds a bit sooner.