Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre – the only publicly-funded leisure facility in the City of London – is closing on 30 April 2026. Residents are fighting to keep it open.
This page sets out what has happened, what the campaign has done, and how you can help.
what is the golden lane leisure centre?
Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre on Fann Street EC1Y 0SH has served the Golden Lane Estate and surrounding community since the 1950s. It is a Grade II listed building containing a 20-metre swimming pool, sports hall, gym, squash courts and tennis courts.
It is the only publicly-funded leisure facility in the Square Mile – the City of London Corporation’s only community leisure centre for residents. It provides:
- Swimming lessons and recreational swimming for all ages
- A dedicated SEND sports programme serving over 30 disabled children and young people, with a waiting list
- An Exercise on Referral programme linked to the local GP surgery and Barts Hospital
- The Young at Heart subsidised fitness programme for elderly residents
- WeSwim sessions for adults with disabilities
- Table tennis, badminton, fitness classes and much more
The City of London Corporation owns the building. Until 30 April 2026 it was operated by Fusion Lifestyle, a national leisure charity.
what happened?
10 FEBRUARY 2026
The City of London Corporation was privately told by Fusion Lifestyle that it might be about to go into administration.
24 FEBRUARY 2026
Just fourteen days later, the City made the decision to close Golden Lane Leisure Centre. This decision was made under emergency delegated authority – by Helen Fentimen (Chair, Community and Children’s Services Committee) and Steve Goodman (Deputy Chair), in consultation with the Town Clerk – without a full committee vote. No alternative operator was approached about keeping the centre open.
1 APRIL 2026
Fusion Lifestyle officially entered administration. Staff at Golden Lane were given 30 minutes’ notice of an online meeting – attended by City of London Corporation officials – at which they were told they would all lose their jobs on 30 April. Residents were not informed in advance.
30 APRIL 2026
Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre closes indefinitely.
Golden Lane is the only site in Fusion Lifestyle’s entire national portfolio confirmed to permanently close. Fusion operated over 100 leisure facilities across England. Every other affected local authority – including Lambeth, Somerset, Charnwood and Newcastle – found a transition arrangement to keep their centres open. The City of London, which manages over £2 billion in endowment funds, chose not to.
why does that matter?
The City of London Corporation has approved a £10.35 million refurbishment of the centre, funded by the Community Infrastructure Levy – money specifically designated for essential community infrastructure. The refurbishment is due to begin in December 2026 and will not be complete until December 2027 at the very earliest. That means a minimum of 20 months without the centre, and based on the City’s track record on major projects, it could be considerably longer.
The City’s own plans for the refurbishment also propose removing the multi-use sports hall and replacing it with a commercial gym. Residents and users have not been consulted despite several requests from GLERA and Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum.
This is not just about a gym closing. For elderly residents, disabled children, cardiac patients referred by their GPs, and families who have used this centre for generations, Golden Lane is a lifeline. It is the only facility of its kind in the Square Mile.
what has the campaign done?
The Save Golden Lane Leisure Centre campaign was founded on 1 April 2026 by residents Rajesh Thind, Dominique Tipper and Paul Drinkwater. In three weeks, the campaign has:
- Launched a petition which has gathered hundreds of signatures
- Sent formal letters to Helen Fentimen, Chris Hayward, Judith Finlay, Simon Cribbens, the Town Clerk, all Cripplegate ward elected members, Rachel Blake MP, the joint administrators at S&W Partners, and the architects FaulknerBrowns
- Submitted 21 Freedom of Information requests covering every aspect of the closure decision
- Secured coverage on ITV News (10 April) and MyLondon (9 and 13 April)
- Met Rachel Blake MP, who has committed to tabling written parliamentary questions to the Secretary of State
- Held a formal recorded meeting at Guildhall with Helen Fentimen, Steve Goodman, Judith Finlay and Simon Cribbens (16 April), at which key facts were confirmed on the record for the first time
- Preparing a formal written proposal to the City Corporation for a community-led interim operating model (17 April)
- Held a public meeting at Golden Lane Community Centre with 70 residents (17 April)
- Secured the support of the Barbican and Golden Lane Neighbourhood Forum, GLERA, and the City Parent Carer Forum
what did we find out at the guildhall meeting?
On 16 April the campaign met senior City Corporation officers and members in a formal recorded meeting. The following was confirmed on the record:
Who made the decision: Helen Fentimen and Steve Goodman, in consultation with the Town Clerk, under emergency delegated authority – without a full committee vote. Steve Goodman acknowledged that an emergency committee meeting could have been called. They chose not to call one.
When the decision was made: 24 February 2026 – fourteen days after Fusion first warned the City, and six weeks before Fusion officially entered administration. During those six weeks, no alternative operator was approached about keeping the centre open.
The Equality Impact Assessment: When asked whether an EIA was conducted before closing the only SEND-dedicated sports provision in the City of London, Helen Fentimen confirmed that assessments are being developed “as we go” – meaning no EIA was completed before the decision was made.
what are we asking for?
The campaign has three asks:
- Keep it open. We are asking the City to reverse the closure decision and keep the centre open on an interim basis until the refurbishment begins. We have submitted a formal proposal for a community-led operating model, with GLL (Better) – the UK’s largest charitable leisure operator – as the proposed interim operator, and CIL revenue funding as the proposed financial mechanism.
- Meaningful consultation on the refurbishment. We are asking for genuine co-design of the refurbishment – proper engagement with residents, community groups, SEND families, elderly users and GP-referred patients, before the planning application is submitted.
- Protect specialist provision. We are asking for the multi-use sports hall to be retained, and for the SEND, Exercise on Referral, Young at Heart and WeSwim programmes to be properly provided for – not just signposted to other facilities where no equivalent provision exists.
stay in touch
savegoldenlane@pm.me
WhatsApp
Campaign newsletter
Instagram: @savegoldenlane
Twitter/X: @savegolden_lane
#savegoldenlane
media coverage
13 APRIL London leisure centre users can access other sites during closure – warning groups ‘not served well’
MyLondon | Ben Lynch
10 APRIL A sports and fitness centre built within a housing estate in the 1950’s could be closing for good, according to residents
ITN London News | Jay Akbar
9 APRIL London estate ‘will have its heart ripped out’ with leisure centre closure
MyLondon | Ben Lynch
campaign correspondence
All formal letters sent by the campaign are listed here in reverse chronological order:
13 APRIL | To: Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman and Helen Fentimen, Chair Community and Children’s Services Committee
RE: Formal Request for Attendance at Public Town Hall Meeting – Golden Lane Leisure Centre
13 APRIL | to: Helen Fentimen, Chair Community and Children’s Services Committee and Judith Finlay, Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services
RE: Formal Request for Attendance at Public Town Hall Meeting – Golden Lane Leisure Centre
13 APRIL | To: Steve Goodman, Chairman, Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee
RE: Formal Request for Attendance at Public Town Hall Meeting – Golden Lane Leisure Centre
13 APRIL | To: Nick Heyward, Senior Associate Architect, FaulknerBrowns
RE: Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre Refurbishment – Community Questions on Design Brief and Consultation
13 APRIL | To: Steve Goodman, Chairman, Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee
RE: Building Condition of Golden Lane Leisure Centre – Accountability of the Housing Management and Almshouses Sub-Committee
10 APRIL | To: Helen Fentimen, Chair Community and Children’s Services Committee and Judith Finlay, Executive Director, Community and Children’s Services
RE: Response to City of London Corporation Press Release of 7 April 2026 – Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre
7 APRIL | To: Ian Thomas, Town Clerk
RE: Proposed Closure of Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre – Challenge to the Process, and democratic Accountability of the Closure Decision
7 APRIL | To: Chris Hayward, Policy Chairman and Helen Fentimen, Chair Community and Children’s Services Committee
RE: Proposed Closure of Golden Lane Sports and Fitness on 30 April 2026 – Formal Demand for Emergency Review, Transition Plan Disclosure, and Prevention of Closure
7 APRIL | To: Nadeem Sweiss and Adam Stephens, joint Administrators, Fusion Lifestyle
RE: Proposed Closure of Golden Lane Estate Sports and Fitness on 30 April 2026 – Request for Information, Community Operator Pathway, and Staff Welfare
7 APRIL | To: Rachel Blake MP
RE: Proposed Closure of Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre – Request for Urgent Parliamentary and Political Action
7 APRIL | To: Kate Doidge, Governance Officer & Clerk, Community and Children’s Services Committee
RE: Formal Request for Committee Paperers: Care Act Compliance Records; and Deputation Request – Proposed Closure of Golden Lane Sports and Fitness Centre
freedom of information requests
13 APRIL 2026
21 FOI requests were submitted covering all aspects of the closure decision, the refurbishment, and the City’s handling of the Fusion administration. These include requests on:
- The closure decision and decision-making process
- Alternative operators considered
- CIL funding basis
- Pre-Market Engagement exercise March 2026
- Management contract with Fusion Lifestyle
- SEND provision and equality
- Equality Impact Assessment
- Sports Consultancy financial modelling
- FaulknerBrowns appointment and Stage 2 report
- GLL alternative provision agreement
- Committee vote on refurbishment design
Full details available on request
other useful info
Check the Golden Lane Leisure Centre page and Leisure Centre news and updates for background on refurbishment consultation, committee reports and overviews, other useful reports, GLERA efforts, other non-campaign press etc.