WEDNESDAY 1 APRIL
Dear Golden Lane Leisure Centre users and stakeholders,
Fusion Lifestyle, the operator of the Golden Lane Leisure Centre, informed the City of London Corporation on April 1 that it is entering administration.
As a result, the leisure centre will close from the end of the day on Thursday, April 30. The closure comes ahead a planned £10.4millon refurbishment – funded by the City Corporation – that is scheduled to commence in December 2026.
The leisure centre’s current condition combined with the short time frame before the planned closure in December, meant no financially viable alternative to closure could be identified.
We know this news will be disappointing to hear and understand the impact the loss of these facilities will have for the members and community groups who use the leisure centre. We’re currently looking into ways to secure continued use of the tennis courts and to explore local alternatives for centre users.
Beyond this immediate challenge, the City Corporation’s investment will deliver a fully refurbished centre and enhanced leisure offer for residents. The project is currently in the design phase ahead of public engagement with residents and centre users to finalise plans that will be submitted for planning permission. Alongside this project, the City Corporation is beginning the process to find an operator for the renewed facility.
Further information and updates will be provided through our Golden Lane Leisure Centre webpage. If you have any questions about the closure of the Golden Lane Leisure Centre, please email GLLC@cityoflondon.gov.uk, and a member of the City of London Corporation team will be in touch.
Fusion Lifestyle will also provide an update and frequently asked questions on their website.
Yours sincerely,
The Department of Community and Children’s Services
further detial…
A few days later on 3 April more detail was provided via an @Home mailing and in the Barbican Bulletin:
On 1 April, the City of London Corporation was informed by Fusion Lifestyle, the operator of Golden Lane Leisure Centre, that it is entering administration.
As a result, the centre will close at the end of the day on Thursday, April 30 – earlier than the planned closure in December, when work is due to begin on a £10.4 million refurbishment funded by the City Corporation.
We know many residents and centre users will be disappointed by the leisure centre closing ahead of its planned refurbishment, and we are sorry for the disruption this will cause.
Elected Members of the City Corporation considered whether an alternative model could keep the centre operating until its planned closure for refurbishment at the end of the year. Although we were hoping operation would continue until December, centre users will be aware that the refurbishment is much needed because of the poor condition of the building and issues of disrepair. These include important elements such as the air handling unit – which is not working, and we cannot be confident that this and other elements would not require additional costly repairs or even continue to function until December.
Given the building will undergo a full refurbishment later this year, it would not be a good use of limited public money to fund significant repairs and maintenance before then.
The City Corporation did not pay Fusion Lifestyle to operate the leisure centre. This means there is no existing budget to pay an alternative provider or to cover the costs of running the Leisure Centre, which in its current state, the centre was operating at a loss. We also need to consider things like insurance and business rates, which may add extra costs if the centre continues to operate.
We have had positive conversations with alternative local providers, who may be able to offer support to those who use the leisure centre. We are working with them, and with Fusion Lifestyle while they continue to operate through April, and we will share further details as soon as we can.
The City Corporation’s sports development team is also reaching out directly to specific user groups, including those with additional needs, to help ensure their needs continue to be met during this transition.
We will continue to provide updates on our Golden Lane Leisure Centre webpage.
– City of London
