Kensington Leisure Centre is a
leisure centre located in the
North Kensington
North Kensington is an area of west London. It is north of Notting Hill and south of Kensal Green and in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The names North Kensington and Ladbroke Grove describe the same area.
North Kensington is wh ...
area of the
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England. It occupies land formerly considered to be part of the
Lancaster West Estate, and was built with the
Kensington Aldridge Academy.
Both were officially opened by
Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge
Catherine, Princess of Wales, (born Catherine Elizabeth Middleton; 9 January 1982) is a member of the British royal family. She is married to William, Prince of Wales, heir apparent to the British throne, making Catherine the likely next ...
in January 2015.
History
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea had a shortage of school places and it was tentatively suggested during the "Towards Preferred Options Core Strategy and the North Kensington Plan" consultations in July 2008, that the "Kensington Sports Centre Key Site" was a possible site. The Kensington Sports Centre already existed but was in need of refurbishment, and it was thought that the two could share the same site.
On 17 November 2008 the ‘Family and Children's Services Oversight and Scrutiny Committee Working Group On Secondary Provision In North Kensington’ recommended the Lancaster West site for a proposed new academy. Consultants,'Urban Initiatives'were appointed in January 2009 to carry out a masterplanning study of the Notting Barns South area, with a view to large scale regeneration of the council-owned estates. The report, known as the Latimer Plan, or the Notting Barns South Masterplan made wide recommendations for relocating facilities, demolishing building such as the
Grenfell Tower, and the
Baranden Walk finger block and Verity Close and the building afresh. It was not adopted, though the principle of the combined leisure centre and school was established.
[
There was an imperative to start construction within five years while the "]Building Schools for the Future
Building Schools for the Future (BSF) was the name given to the British government's investment programme in secondary school buildings in England in the 2000s. The programme was ambitious in its costs, timescales and objectives, with politicia ...
" funding was available. In reconfiguring the site, two areas of public open space were subsumed ignoring the requirements of the government planning document PPG 17 In the United Kingdom, Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) were statements of the Government's national policy and principles towards certain aspects of the town planning framework.
These national policy documents were originally known as PPGs an ...
, and causing local resentment.[
The project was managed by Studio E architects and the building designed by LA architects. The former sports centre was closed in 2012 and demolished. It was replaced by a £29 million new build.]
Facilities
The centre is run by Better Leisure. It offers its members a 120 station gym, group fitness classes, a wet side with a 25m main pool with 250 seat spectator gallery, 20m teaching pool, leisure pool, swimming lessons. It has an eight-court multi-use sports hall, three studios, including a dedicated group cycle studio. It has catering in the form of a cafe. The Spa Experience includes a sauna and steam rooms.
References
2014 establishments in England
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